Picture Birmingham

Hold on – before I write, if you’re anywhere near local enough to be willing to come to Birmingham, fill me in on your calendar for the evening of May 12.

Got it?

Okay. Now we can continue.

It has been seven weeks since I launched my new site, Picture Birmingham, and I figured it was time to write a progress report.

It’s been fun, it’s been scary, it’s been busy, it’s been exhausting, it’s been everything. But ultimately, it’s been a very rewarding endeavor, blessing me more than I’ve been able to bless The WellHouse.

There have been some incredible sunsets to add to my collection,

140331 Japanese Cherry Trees Basking in the Warmth of Birmingham

140327c Mountains and Sky

140312b A Peek Over The Wall

140401c Sunset Through the Bamboo

140411d Beams over Lover's Leap

140418c Good Friday Selah - Three

And my dear friend Jamie partook in the project and donated a stinking fantastic picture of Sloss Furnaces to the project and wrote about it on her blog. Her photo looks especially epic on canvas.

Picture Birmingham CanvasPhoto by Jamie Golden

Picture Birmingham has raised over $1,650 $1,800 so far to give directly to The WellHouse. The support in Birmingham has been huge, but I must say – those of you out of state (and in Canada) who have bought prints, canvases and note cards will always have a special place in my heart. It means so much to me that you would support this ministry by buying a picture of my city. But I so appreciate every one of you regardless of location, as do the precious women at The WellHouse.

And the more I learn about The WellHouse, the more I am amazed and humbled by what they are doing, what they are sacrificing, and how much they are investing to offer hope and healing to women all over the country.

Speaking of.

I admit that I’m terrible about finding time to sit down and watch long YouTube videos, so even though I knew how powerful this video was, I had not watched it until I attended a WellHouse event last Sunday night. So. I to-o-o-o-tally get it if you don’t have 20 minutes to watch this right now, but I highly recommend that you do watch it soon – because we all need to know how extraordinarily high-tech and deceptive trafficking has become so that we can protect our children and be equipped to help others.

http://youtu.be/FAUCXlUcQvI

It’s a scary world out there, y’all, and we need to be aware of what’s happening…and help fix it.

The WellHouse is doing just that – both locally and nationally. They are currently moving from offering transitional housing for rescued victims (30-45 days) to also having a long term recovery center. They have 70 acres of land with four houses on it and are building a program that can help these ladies, men, and children find full healing and transition back into society with new hope and direction.

But this takes money. A lot of money. It costs $1,200 a month to provide for all the needs of one victim(except for the rescue itself, which can cost as much as $4,500.)

I want to be able to continue helping them long-term and with increasing impact through Picture Birmingham. As such, I have committed to several on-site events – not something that was in my original plan, but something that has been very worthwhile.

WellHouse Event Photo

I’ve been to two WellHouse events, will be selling at the Discover Birmingham Launch Event on Thursday, and then on May 12, Marco Morosini, the owner of Silvertron Café, has offered to host an event for Picture Birmingham and The WellHouse.

(Remember? You already marked me down for May 12. So hooray! You can come!)

I would love for all of you who are local to come and eat that night – Marco will be donating a percentage of all of his sales to The WellHouse, and I will be there selling Picture Birmingham prints, note cards and canvases, with all of the profits going to The WellHouse.

AND, I would get to visit with you!

AND, you would get to eat some of the best food in Birmingham! I’ve been telling you about this place for years, so if you haven’t been yet, it’s about time.

Silvertron

So please consider going out to eat that night – I would adore face to face time with any of you! You can RSVP on the Facebook event or just let me know you’ll be there in the comments.

In the meantime, if you’d like to go ahead and order Picture Birmingham products, Please do!! I have a coupon code for you: “thanksforreading” will get you 12% off your entire order until April 30 – and don’t forget that Mother’s Day and Father’s Day are coming up!

And finally and most importantly,

THANK YOU.

For all of your shares, likes, comments, purchases, tweets, emails, and support.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

4 thoughts on “Picture Birmingham: The Progress Report

  1. I watched the video and at the moment I am speechless. I had no idea how bad it is just on I-20. My mind can not wrap around this happening, knowing it does, and how these poor girls get caught in such a web of lies. I am older and never realized what a huge problem it has become. God bless the Well House and all who are helping these people.

  2. Wow, that video was heartbreaking. And maddening. It makes me angry to think of what is happening to these girls and how easy it is for them to get sucked into it. So so sad. That’s awesome that you have raised so much money in such a short time! I tend to ignore horrible things and try not to think about them. :( I think it’s awesome that you are out there doing something to help!

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