2014 SEASON

This is just a note to let you know that Help-Portrait Abbotsford will not be running this year. Thank you to all our past volunteers, and to all our past guests. The last 4 years have been a blast! Please check back for future Help-Portrait Abbotsford events.

1.5 Weeks!

So, there is only about a week and a half left to go before our event. EEK! Panic mode for me!

 For those volunteers who want to know what they will be doing on the day, I will be sending out emails over the weekend to let you all know what is going on. For those who said they would be willing to call guests to arrange appointment times, this will need to be done next week, and you will all get an email with the shared Google Docs that we will be using.

For any guests who have registered and are wondering what is happening, you should receive a call sometime next week to arrange an appointment time for you on the 7th. At that time you will be able to ask any questions that you may have in regards to the upcoming event. 

We will be accepting new volunteers and new guests up until FRIDAY December 6th at 5pm, but if you could register before then, it would make our job so very much easier.

Due to the lack of volunteers this year, and due to the fact that we have two mobile teams going out, we would ask that all guests who have attended 2 or more Help-Portrait events, kindly step aside in favour of those who have not yet had a chance to attend. Thank you so much for this consideration!

Less Than a Month Left!

So there is less than a month left before our Help-Portrait day. We are trying to pull all the details together in such a short amount of time. We have begun contacting organizations who will send us guests to participate in this special day. Every year we try to look for new organizations and new people to reach, because this is about giving people a boost when they are at a low, giving them a sense of worth and value at a time when those things are hard to find. This is not simply about free portraits for those who can't afford them - in fact, many of our volunteers could not afford to have their hair and makeup done or professional portraits taken of  themselves! We are a special group of people, looking to give back to others who are special and don't really know it.

If you are this person who is at a hard place, please have your group or organization contact us to get you involved. We are in contact with many community groups and organizations, and we are always willing to add more and spread our reach.

If you feel inspired to help and to be involved, there are two ways to do this:

• Become a volunteer - trust us, there are so many, many different areas where you can help, no special skills needed! Just sign up and/or come out to one of our planning meetings.

• Donate funds or items that we need - We need everything from food, to volunteer t-shirts, to photo paper and printers. Please have a look at our list to see if there is something you are able to help with. Unfortunately, since Help-Portrait is only registered in the US as a charitable organization, we are unable to give charitable donation receipts. We are willing, though, to write an official thank you letter if that will help you for business purposes.

Please take a minute to explore our blog, and to look at the photos and videos from past events. Hopefully we captured the essence of what this day means to us!

December 7th, 2013

So we have confirmed the date! Saturday, December 7th, we will be back at Bakerview Church, as well as a few other locations with mobile teams. HOORAY!

Volunteers, please register ASAP, so that we can order shirts and know who will be helping where. We love ALL of you! You are what make this a success, time and time again. Anyone who can offer help in planning or taking leadership over specific areas would be MUCH APPRECIATED!
Send us an email: helpportraitabbotsford@gmail.com to let us know, and/or indicate what you can help with in the Volunteer Registration. Also, if you are on Facebook, please join our Help-Portrait Abbotsford 2013 Volunteers group to keep up to date with what is going on.

Guests from Best For Babies, please be advised that you will need to register through your group leader this year. This has changed from previous years. Looking forward to seeing you all on the 7th!

2013 Update

Just a quick note that we have begun planning for our 2013 event. This year, we will be expanding our reach by sending mobile teams out to a few locations and scaling back a bit on our guests at the main event. We would love to offer a unique experience to guests who have not previously visited us. We will post another update as soon as we get a firm confirmation on the date of our event. Volunteers, you may sign up as soon as you like, but be advised that the date is not 100% yet (awaiting venue confirmation)

A few more hours!

Just a quick message for our guests:

If you did not get a phone call or if you did not register, and would like to come out, we would be more than happy to accommodate you between noon and 3pm as a walk-in session. Basic hair and makeup services available. We will be at 2285 Clearbrook Rd. in Abbotsford, and we would love to have you! 

2 More Days!!!

With only a couple days left, all the last minute details are coming together. It is great to see our guest list getting longer and our appointment calendar starting to fill up. Some of our volunteers have been spending hours on the phones calling guests to arrange appointments, so if you have registered and have not yet heard from us, don't worry! We will call you. At the moment, it looks as though the afternoon is more free than the morning.

I am looking forward to the smiles and the fun we will have, and hoping that we have worked out a few more kinks from last year. It is a great thing to be a part of for both guests and volunteers alike!