Mini Session Spotlight: Bringing Community Together for Special Needs Families

When you can’t change the direction of the wind — adjust your sails – H. Jackson Brown

Family & Awareness

Hello there! Welcome! I’m so excited about this weeks blog as it focuses on something that is incredibly special: Family and Awareness. Over the weekend we hosted our first ever Special Needs Mini Sessions where we gifted free minis sessions to a group of families with children who have special needs. I cannot express enough how soul-filling it was to meet, interact and smile with all these beautiful, deserving families!

The Why…

The main reason for the minis was to focus on family. Every family deserves to have beautiful portraits hanging in their homes! A close second was to focus on awareness which is why we will be creating a calendar for 2023 spotlighting our families from the minis. More on that later…

To provide a little context, for those of you who don’t know, before I became a photographer I worked as a behavior therapist for children with Autism and Special Needs. This was a very fulfilling season of life not only working with these kiddos but also getting to know their families. Ever since I started my business it was always my goal to do something impactful within the community. Bridging my two passions of photography and working with these families was how we came up with the concept of free mini sessions, both to bless these families who are often faced with challenges when hiring photographers and as a way to surround awareness to these communities.

After chatting with some of the families, I realized how impactful this day really was. It will forever be our mission to serve our community in meaningful and impactful ways. I left these sessions feeling overwhelmed by their stories and the connections made in a short period of time. Each one of your families will always have a special place in our hearts at Cedar & Lace!

When Community Comes Together

It was such a blessing to have so many hands involved. I want to shout out the most amazing cookie creator – Jennifer from One-Eyed Cookie Lab for donating some of her absolutely amazing cookies for the kids. THEY WERE AN ABSOLUTE HIT! If you have not tried these cookies you are seriously missing out! We can’t thank One-Eyed Cookie Lab enough for their kindness and serving souls!

GO CHECK THEM OUT AND GIVE THEIR SOCIALS A LIKE AND FOLLOW

https://www.oneeyedcookielab.com/

FB: https://www.facebook.com/oneeyedcookielab

IG: https://www.instagram.com/oneeyedcookielab/

I was also thrilled when my children were inspired to go through their toys and gather a whole bunch of beloved stuffed animals to donate to the kids. While it was a very small gesture, it touched my mama heart more than anyone can know.

It was also imperative to provide a private yet beautiful space for the families. My parents, Jeff and Lisa Harman, graciously allowed us to utilize their gorgeous property and I know how hard they worked to ensure it was perfect! Thank you both for your help!

Last but certainly not least, if you’ve ever been to a shoot with me, there is a big chance you have seen my husband, Tyler there. We always joke, assistant first, husband second due to his willingness to go above and beyond for my clients in any way he can. He deserves a special shout out for his hard work as well! We love you, Tyler.

I know these small gestures created a big impact for everyone and I cannot thank everyone enough who pitched in for their support and kindness. You all have the biggest hearts and I’m honored to be surrounded by you!

A Sneak Peek

Without further ado, let me introduce you to the wonderful families!

How to Get Involved

How can you get involved and spread awareness? I will be creating a calendar featuring our families to help spread awareness and raise funds for a wonderful local organization. All profits from the calendars will be donated to The Story of Autism. The Story of Autism is a located here in our home, Marysville, OH. It is nonprofit organization that focuses on small group learning for children on the spectrum. These kiddos practice social and daily living skills as well as providing support groups to the families within the Autism community. It was such a pleasure to meet and photograph the Founder of the organization and his son at our photoshoot.

If you’d like to purchase a calendar click here to join our facebook group. I will be providing information on how and when these calendars will be available. Our goal is to have these live by the end of September, early October. If you are interested in helping get our calendar project rolling, let me know!

Not on facebook? Send me an email to shelby@cedarandlacecreative.com to get on the mailing list for more information.

Don’t stop there! Let’s keep the momentum going! If you’d like to donate directly to The Story of Autism or gather more information for someone you know, please reach out by email or phone: thestoryofautism@gmail.com or 937-243-7706.

Closing Remarks

We are hopeful to continue blessing families each year. If you reached out and were added to the waiting list – you will be our first contact for next year, if you’d like to join the list for our next session, please get in touch by email!

We can’t thank you everyone enough for sharing our minis and spreading awareness for our community.

XO – Shelby

“I am different, not less.” – Temple Grandin

Hey, you! If you’d like to book a session with Cedar & Lace, please fill out a contact form here. We can’t wait to capture your family!