Last Meeting

Thank you SO MUCH to everyone who was able to make it out to our last meeting! I hope everyone's questions were answered and you have a little better idea of what might be going on during the day. It was really great seeing a bunch of new faces, and I hope to get to know some of you more as we pull this all together. If there are any more questions or concerns, please email  - helpportraitabbotsford@gmail.com - and either Patti or I will get back to you.

For those who could not make it out - no worries! We will brief you the morning of. A few key notes to be aware of:

•  The first guests should be appearing around 9am. 
• I would really love to get a large group shot of all the volunteers who can make it, sometime between 8:30 and 9am outside the building, so please take a few minutes away from whatever you may be doing so that you can join us.
• I expect us to have all of our guests through with photos in hand by roughly 5:30pm, so that we can hopefully be packed up and on our way out by 7pm.
• Some people will be at Bakerview on Friday evening to set-up prior to the event, from about 5pm. If you plan on joining us, please let us know so that we can be sure to let you in, and to wait for you before we close up.
• This should be fun for us too, so relax and smile :-)
• Please take a minute to eat something. In the past, volunteers have been so busy that eating has been an afterthought. Since we cannot keep tabs on which volunteers have had a break and which have not, it will be up to you to take a rest and have a snack when needed.
• Anyone with really long extension cords, please bring them. Same applies for power bars.
• LABEL EVERYTHING
• Along with my nice chic volunteer t-shirt, I will be wearing superhero RED stretch pants. So will a few others who are in the know. If you have a question that cannot be answered at the sign in table - find one of us.
• Candid photographers, please remember that guests wearing black lanyards should not be photographed outside of their studio session. 
• Hair and Make-up professionals, please ensure that any guest wearing a black lanyard keeps it visible when they are at your stations.
• You are all amazing! This could not happen without you, and I am in awe, each time I do this, at how much everyone pulls together and gives such a meaningful and valuable gift of their time and talents to this cause.

See you on the 8th!!!

2 Days to Go

Well, here we are at crunch time, and here I am at 2:30am again blogging! Things are coming together slowly and quickly at the same time. We have a great base of volunteers for all areas of our day, the exception being hair and makeup in the afternoon. But I am sure that these will also come together in the 2 remaining days as we have been working on filling the spots. Laura will be at the church on Friday evening to set up a few things with those who are willing to come in and do it then. For all others, it will be a mad rush at 8am Saturday morning. Please, if at all possible, avail yourself for a group photo (or possibly a few) before we start our day. If you are one of those who are starting later in the day, please make sure you have your photo taken so that we can try to add you to the group shot afterwards. Anyone who knows anyone who is willing to bring along food, we would be very very grateful for anything. We do have quite a bit of food, but based on last year's experience, we can always use more. Savoury things like sandwiches, pizzas, veggies, meat and cheese trays, and fruit (a box of oranges would be great!) are where we are lacking more. Please also remember to label any dishes or things that you want to get back at the end of the day.

We have made a tentative schedule for the volunteers and have emailed a couple key groups of people who need to bring specific equipment. For the rest of you, if you are a photographer, please bring your cameras and flashes etc, and if you are a general volunteer you will be told where to be on the day of. Anyone who has funny hats or things to make kids laugh, bring those along, or any other props that may be useful (remembering to label everything!) When you arrive, please see Simran Bains, our volunteer coordinator, who will let you know where you need to go and what you need to do. Laura and Tamara will be everywhere at once ;-) and I'm sure things will be great!

There are probably going to be media there as well as several photographers taking candid photos for us. Be aware you may be on camera, and also please be sensitive and aware of guests who are in situations that require confidentiality. This year there are A LOT of these individuals. We have close to 100 amazing volunteers. Feel free to use the opportunity to network with each other and to learn from each other. So far we have around 300 people registered to have their photos taken, with more on the way, as well as walk-ins on the day. I am guessing we may hit close to our target of 500-600 people. The day holds great promise. Looking forward to seeing you all there!