Volunteer Event - All God's Children Candlelight Dinner & Respite Care

Giving back is very important to me so I was happy to help my longtime friend Cassi, a founder of All God's Children or ACG, a fellowship group at her church that ministers to families touched by special needs with providing a photo booth and event photography at a recent candlelight dinner event. Last year I provided low cost portraits to members of this group and got to know a little more about who they are and what they do. Basically, if you are a family who has a child with special needs or is touched by special needs in any way, this group will uplift, encourage, and support you through life's challenges. It is my understanding that you don't need to be a member or attendant of Good Shepherd Community Church (where this event took place) to join. You can get more info here.

It is amazing what people will do to help others. Being in the wedding industry I know a lot of awesome people who can throw a great party! Cassi mentioned needing flowers for the event so I immediately contacted my favorite florist, Kim from Swoon Floral Design who made beautiful corsages for the couples attending this dinner. I also had the Fancy Photo Booth props made by the one and only Lisa from Crave Design who also created the elegant table numbers (and of course I thought of it at the last minute but Lisa is awesome and did it regardless of the time crunch!) Seems like a small detail but lots of small details went in to making this event an amazing date-night out for families who it may not be very easy for to just pick up and head out for a night. The reality is that they have to seek out high level care for their kiddos, and perhaps taking them out to a restaurant isn't an option. It's a great opportunity to reconnect, chat with other adults and have fun. There was a lot of laughter in the room that evening and the food from California Pizza Kitchen smelled AMAZING!

Another high point of the night (which unfortunately I had to miss... I have a newborn at home which limits the amount of time I can spend away and had to get home to my sweet baby!) was the guest speakers from the Elisha Foundation. You can find out more about this wonderful family and a HUGE recent accomplishment here on their Facebook page and read about the accomplishment here: CBS News: Teen with Downs Syndrome Climbs Everest What a champion Eli is!

Cystic Fibrosis ~ Chef's Dinner & Wine Extraordinaire 2011

This past week I had the honor and privilege of photographing the 14th Annual Chef's Dinner and Wine Extraordinaire at The Nines Hotel in downtown Portland. This was the second time I have photographed the event, which is a formal multi-course meal prepared by a team of the Northwest's Finest chefs. The event also features live and silent auctions whose proceeds benefit Cystic Fibrosis research. For those of you who don't know, my connection with Cystic Fibrosis is that my dear friends Travis and Elicia Otterson have two young boys with this life threatening disease. The boys are healthy and doing well right now, but they have both experienced extended hospital stays and endure hours of treatments each day to keep them that way. Finding a cure for this disease is near and dear to my family's heart.

The evening started off with a cocktail hour while guests perused the silent auction items before moving into the dining area. Tables were decorated with framed chalkboard centerpieces which were donated, and the room had a classy blue and black theme. The emcees for the evening were veterans from the year before; Stephanie Stricklen from KGW News and former Portland Trail Blazer Jerome Kersey; both clear crowd favorites. At the mic getting bids for the live auction was Graham Crow.

As the gourmet plates were served, speakers came up to the podium to thank and encourage the guests to help find a cure for C.F. Foundation chairs, corporate sponsors, parents who have lost children to this disease, and people who battle C.F. daily told their stories. There weren't many dry eyes in the room when Barbara Crockett told her heard wrenching story of losing three of her baby girls to Cystic Fibrosis in the early 1960's. Or when 27 year old C.F. warrior Ashley McLaughlin took the stage and told of losing her older brother to Cystic Fibrosis... only 3 weeks before.

The generosity of this event is overwhelming and wonderful. So much money was raised to help fund Cystic Fibrosis research . A cure is very very close. It is my hope that in the near future I won't be taking photos at this function; because this function will no longer be necessary.

Please enjoy the collages I created from Thursday night and feel free to tag yourself and/or share with family, friends, coworkers etc. If you would like a DVD of images from the night of the event, please look for Session/Event Disc in the pulldown menu on the right hand side of my blog. Please keep Studio 623 Photography in mind for your Portrait, Wedding, and Event Photography needs!

Sponsors

• The Standard
• Macadam Forbes
• Sullivan & Associates
• Opus Solutions
• TZ Medical
• Oakridge Temporary Housing
• The Nines
• Gasparis
• Nike
• OHSU
• IBM2
• Wyse Investments
• Cedar Mt. Advisors
• Thompsons
• KPMG
• Fred Meyer
• Christensen Electric
• Larry & Beth VandenBrink
• Kevin & Heather VandenBrink

Auction Items

• Aquariva Package
• Instant Wine Cellar
• Vashon Island Getaway
• George Brown Package
• Tamarak Vacation Getaway
• H50 Package
• Hawaii Trip
• VIP PDX
• Nike Golf Experience
• Centerpieces
• Irving Street Kitchen Package
• Blazers Package
• Nostrana Package
• Bob Lamb's Boat Cruise
• The Nines Experience
• Golf with Jerome Kersey at Oregon Golf Club
• Fenouil Package
• Joyride on Larry VandenBrink's Boat
• The Original Package
• Cumpston Mountain Cabin

Meals:
Plated Appetizer: Andy Arndt, Aquariva
Dry cured duck breast, potato brioche, crisp artichoke, Foie Gras Vin, Sokol Blosser Evolution White Blend

Soup Course: Chef Nick Yanes, H50
French Onion Soup, roasted garlic and gruyere espuma, chive, crispy garlic, Hawk's View Cellars Syrah

Salad: Chef Sarah Schafer, Irving Street Kitchen
Quail Salad, Poached Pears, Hazelnuts, cranberry sauce, bourbon vinaigrette, Argyle Winery Dry Riesling

Entree: Chef Michael Corvino, The Nines
Carlton Farms Pork Tenderloin, Butternut squash fondant, steel cut oats, melted leeks, Domaine Serene Pinot Noir

Dessert: Pastry Chef Sean Sasser, Urban Farmer
Oregon pear tarte tatin: triticale pastry, hazelnuts, rum sultanas, dolce gorgonzola ice cream, Port, Starbucks coffee