Celebrating the Heart of Soulumination

Lynette Johnson is a very talented photographer in the Seattle area who I met during my son Christian’s senior year photo shoot. She has done many high profile photo shoots including Bill and Melinda Gates’ wedding, and Nelson Mandela at the WTO in Seattle, but the bulk of her time is spent photographing children and families.

During Christian’s photo shoot, Lynette and I talked about my families recent move to Seattle and how I was looking for a volunteer opportunity which would allow me to get involved with the community in a meaningful way. Our discussion quickly turned to the work of her foundation, Soulumination, a non profit which provides professional photography services, free of charge, to families of critically ill children and critically ill adults with children under the age of 18. After our discussion I was hooked! I couldn’t imagine a better way to volunteer my time than helping these families.

In addition to the photography services, Soulumination gives each family an exquisite handmade photo album, a small travel-sized handmade album for each family member at the shoot, a CD with all the images (up to 60 4×6 prints), a sterling silver bracelet with their child’s photo for each mother, 6 lamented wallet-sized photos for the father, and a professionally framed 5×7 photograph. Soulumination provides all of this to the families completely free of charge.

The feedback we get from the families is overwhelming gratitude and appreciation. Not just for the gifts, which provide a beautiful legacy, but for the compassion and joy each photographer and volunteer brings to a very difficult time in the lives of these families.

Last year, Lynette was diagnosed with Lymphoma. She spent the year fighting the disease like a true champ and today has a clean bill of health. Lynette turns 60 in February and the Soulumination board has decided to celebrate her renewed health and unwavering dedication to the families we serve by raising $60,000 for Soulumination in honor of her birthday. Each photo shoot costs Soulumination ~ $600.00; last year we served 200 families and that number grows every year as word of our work spreads. Our goal is to receive $60.00 from 1000 people and continue to serve these angel babies. As a board member I am asking for your participation, however, please know a contribution of any amount is welcome.