A fundraising calendar, for the win!

The idea was hatched in one of those "Aha!" moments. In consideration of a client who was a survivor of breast cancer and in recognition of her incredible courage and vivaciousness, I thought wouldn't it be nice to give something back to the community.

This disease attacks not just a woman's body, but her very sense of self -- her identity as a woman, taking toll on her psyche as well as her physique. I have often marveled at what a therapeutic experience a boudoir photo session is for my customers. And it occurred to me that my special skill in bringing out the most feminine qualities in ANY woman, and making her feel beautiful and valued might be a special gift to a breast cancer survivor.

Finding a partner in the Pink Ribbon Connection organization which specializes in reaching out and providing resources to the medically underserved community, we set out to accomplish two things:

• Lift the spirits of 12 beautiful women by capturing their enduring feminine radiance in special dedicated photosessions, and

• Raise money for the organization's operations by using those images in a fund raising charity boudoir calendar.

We've had our first round of shoots so far, and the results were fabulous! One of our models commented after the shoot -

"I had a lot of fun doing the shots – playing model was exciting and I wish I could do it for a living!!" - Amy

Clearly one part of our mission has already been accomplished. We're shooting for a September release of the 2011 Red Ribbon Connection INFINI Boudoir Calendar and are hoping for a smashing success!