Celebrating Resilience is a passion project of mine; I have been working on it for over two years now! Over the past year, I partnered with integrated health clinic Alongside You to get some help in putting together the exhibition. I am SOOO EXCITED to announce the opening - Saturday, June 1st 6:30pm - 9:30pm at Stir Coffee House in Ladner.
What is Celebrating Resilience about?
Many of you already know my story of struggling through severe depression and anxiety, which led to my career change from Mathematician to Photographer. Sharing my story with others has been healing and empowering for me, but also an incredible way to connect with others who are struggling, give them an opportunity to see that they are not alone, and that it’s OK to struggle and it’s OK to ask for help.
Expanding on my own experience, I have a grand total of eight brave souls sharing their journeys. For each, I created a custom conceptual portrait based on their story, with the intention to take a moment and look back on how far they have come. How much they have learned, grown, and how much resilience they have built for themselves. Inevitably, a down time is likely to occur in each of our lives. When that happens, I want these portraits to be a bright reminder on our strength and resilience. I want them to serve as a daily affirmation of how resilient we are.
Please join me at the exhibition opening at Stir Coffee House in Ladner at 101-5085 48th Avenue, Ladner on Saturday June 1st, 6:30pm - 9:30pm. The portraits will remain up for at least one month, after which time we plan on distributing them throughout the community in various local businesses, giving more people the chance to see them. Each portrait will be accompanied by a short excerpt from the person’s story, with a link to read the full stories online.
How can you help?
We have all directly or indirectly been touched by someone in our lives struggling - whether it’s mental illness, chronic pain or illness, or other struggles - we recognize how very important it is to seek professional help. It saves lives! However, not everyone can afford it. This is why I am proud to have partnered with Alongside You - bridging this gap for those most in need is one of their core values. Through their Step Forward program, they are able to provide much needed help to so many in our community who can’t afford it otherwise.
We are actively seeking sponsors to help us raise $15,000 with all net proceeds going directly to the Step Forward program. If you would like to become a corporate sponsor, please get in touch ASAP for a corporate sponsorship package! Send me an e-mail at info@radinaphotography.com and I’ll walk you through it!
If you would like to make a private donation, you can do so online here (please put “Celebrating Resilience” in the dedication box).
THANK YOU to all the participants, supporters, donors, sponsors, and the whole community in general for being so supportive of this project. And most of all, thank you to Alongside You for providing so much help to make this event a reality!!! Hope to see you all there! Join the Facebook event to let us know you’re coming so we are prepared! (Free to attend for all).