This summer, Solomon led a photography workshop with children at the Irving Corps Community Center. The children were taught photography techniques and then asked to go out on assignment and capture photos of their hopes and dreams for a better life.
"We can learn a great deal from the images captured by the children, since those reveal their hopes and dreams," said Linda Solomon, celebrity photojournalist. "Despite the fact that they are living in difficult circumstances, they appreciate the things that are truly important in life: their families, a good education and peace. All of those hopes are beautifully expressed in their images."
Thanks to General Motors' sponsorship of this program, "Pictures of Hope", the children's images were transformed into greeting cards which will be sold through The Salvation Army's DFW Metroplex website, with 100 percent of the proceeds from the sale of the "Pictures of Hope" cards benefiting the many families that receive assistance at the local center.
"Giving back to the communities where we live and work is incredibly important to General Motors, its employees and its dealer body," said Ed Welburn, vice president, GM Global Design. 'Pictures of Hope' is a wonderful project, and we are proud to be a part of it. Now more than ever, children need hope and a sense of pride that can translate into higher self-esteem and success later in life."
This is the second year that General Motors is sponsoring this program. The program has been featured prominently in People Magazine, USA Today, ABC World News and CBS Evening News. Last year, Solomon led workshops in The Salvation Army centers in Raleigh, North Carolina, and Orlando, Florida. In 2006, over 30 children participated in this program. This year, General Motors has expanded the program to six cities reaching more women and children in need.
"We're excited to have Linda Solomon coming back to our Salvation Army community center in Irving this week to unveil the photos taken by the children in our summer program, and to announce that the children's photos will be featured on greeting cards," says Major C. Mark Brown, The Salvation Army's DFW Metroplex Commander. "We're also grateful to General Motors for sponsoring the 'Pictures of Hope' project."
The "Pictures of Hope" greeting cards will be sold to the public for $20 a box including 14 cards -- one from each child who participated in the project. For more information contact The Salvation Army at 972-438-6553.
The Irving Corps Community Center in Irving, Texas -a suburb of Dallas- offers its premier program, a child development program, at the Gene & Jerry Jones Family Center for Children. The center also offers an after-school program, summer-long child care, youth basketball leagues, a food pantry, rent assistance, utility bill assistance, a computer lab, free pregnancy testing, a school of performing arts, Vacation Bible School, Bible study, and weekly church services on Sundays.-General Motors
