Forgotten Children Worldwide Auction Session

Have you heard for Forgotten Children Worldwide?  They are an amazing organization, and I’ll get into the details of all they do a little later.  Last February I donated a session to their annual fundraiser auction.  I was sitting with a couple friends who were bidding relentlessly on the session. (yes, they made my insides turn to mush! :))  However neither of them won, and I had NO IDEA who did!?!  I was so curious!   This September the winner, Hannah contacted me to schedule her Forgotten Children Worldwide auction session.

Family Session

Hannah’s husband has a job that keeps him always on call, so we scheduled them for a daytime session when I could be most flexible.  Session day arrived, and you guessed it, her husband got called in to work.  *Sigh*  Hannah and I kept in contact and  she let me know when she knew he would be able to make it to their planned session time.  Hannah is an amazing lady!  She beautifully matched their outfits, and planned family pictures with two children two and under along with the family dog!  Wow!  What a woman!  🙂   Hannah and her husband Nathaniel are blessed with family nearby, and grandma came to the shoot with help with the kids and the dog.

Hannah and Nathaniel were wonderful!  They patiently worked with their little ones to try to capture a good variety of all that they wanted in their session.   I kept my shutter going almost constantly, because toddlers are fast!

Forgotten Children Worldwide

So more about Forgotten Children…  I referenced their website and also contacted Jeff Patterson the Development Director at Forgotten Children Worldwide.  Forgotten Children works to protect, empower, and love orphans and vulnerable children in Africa & Asia.  Founded in 1999, the organization has grown so much over the years!

Their newest flagship ministry is their Kipindi Mptio program in Uganda .  Kipindi Mptio is designed to help Ugandan Youth transposition successfully into adulthood.  This ministry was the focus of the banquet/fundraiser auction last year.  Matt Hartsell, FCW Founder and Executive Director, arranged FaceTime phone call with some of the staff and girls in the house.  It was amazing to be sitting in Bluffton, seeing young women the program was benefitting and hear their stories in their own voices.  To hear from the staff how they see the youth growing and what the program means to all of them.  I can only imagine what an experience it was for them to see  all of us that were gathered there in support of them.  It was truly and unique and very meaningful experience.

Kipindi Mptio program allows the young women in the program to gain:

 

Protect.  Empower.  Love.

Forgotten Children Worldwide has many other programs that work to fight the effects of poverty.  Protect children against sex-trafficking, and care the the orphaned.  These programs include:

•  Child Sponsorships – helping children escape the grips of poverty.
• Clothing Collection and Distribution – making a difference in hygiene, health and illness prevention.
• Micro-Finance Opportunities for Self-Sustainability – making a long-term impact on communities caring for orphans.
• Child Trafficking Prevention – changing futures for vulnerable children.
• Orphan Home Construction Grants – building hope-filled opportunities for more children in need.

Packers

Locally, I think Forgotten Children is most widely known for it’s clothing collection and distribution.  This is also their ministry that I am most familiar and involved with.  Hannah and her husband have also been involved with the packing ministry.  It’s easy to collect clothes!  However, it’s a very big job to sort all the clothes that are received making sure they are clean, free of rips and stains and appropriately sized.   The clothes are also separated by gender and season to be sent to the correct place at the correct time.

I’m part of a group that packs once a week and it is a lot of fun!  Confession though, I haven’t been since COVID started and during the busy season, I miss more than I am present.  They are a great group, we enjoy each other’s company and work to get as much done as possible for FCW, so the clothes can be sent to those in need overseas. If you are a local business they have a 75-minute packing challenge coming up.  This would be a great team building experience, and a lot of fun as you serve together.  Check it out on the Forgotten Children Worldwide homepage or here: 75-minute packing challenge

 

Forgotten Children Worldwide Auction

Hannah’s session was part of the 2020 auction that raised a total of over $280,000.  The Forgotten Children staff and volunteers always put together an amazing experience!  I am always in awe of how the staff bring the experience of the vulnerable children overseas to life.  Really making it feel like you have gotten a glimpse of what their lives are like.

Their is a silent auction component and also a live auction.  The auction is fun even if you don’t win, or don’t bid.  We usually have a set giving amount in mind ahead of time, that we spend bidding or given as a donation as we are leaving.   According to their website the next annual benefit auction is scheduled for February 21, 2021.  I would highly encourage you to consider attending.  But don’t wait until the last minute, it’s always a sell out event!  If you’re lucky you might even see Hannah and Nathaniel there! 🙂

For now, but your feet up and enjoy a glimpse into their sweet session.

To learn more about the Simply Seeking Photography experience follow this link: Senior Experience 

 

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