Charity Fest: Courage and Cancer by David Quisenberry

6/12/2013

I've written this a few times now, but it's so worth pointing out. Behind every project to give back, there's always a person or an event that started the process. With The Portrait Project, David Quisenberry and Meagan Harris had a relationship as photographer and client. There was a level of trust already established, which made it such a great connection when Meagan met Payton.

The next step of this that I love is tying it together with an already established non-profit. I know a lot of photographers often want to start their own 510 3 C , but so often you're only going to add to your administrative overhead. You're much better off to work with an established non-profit that already has the infrastructure and brand awareness in the community. The Children's Cancer Fun was already in existence along with the Children's Medical Center. It's the perfect combination for David to help lead the charge in helping families capture the incredible courage of these children! Skip Cohen

This portrait of Dyrk and his father went viral when published on the Internet, helping to share his courageous battle against cancer with millions around the world. Dyrk passed away a few months after this portrait was taken. It is proudly displayed in his parents’ home today.

Three years ago Meagan Harris picked up her newborn portrait order from the studio. Two weeks earlier, she had interviewed a girl named Payton who made jewelry while in the hospital, selling it and donating the money to a non-profit that provides funding for local cancer research. Later that day, Meagan found out that Payton had lost her battle with cancer. Looking at her newborn portraits, she could not help but think what a tragedy it would be to lose a child and not have any lasting memories of them. This led to the creation of The Portrait Project.

The Portrait Project: Courage & Cancer

Description:

Little bodies.. big hearts. If you’ve ever met a child fighting cancer then you’ve looked into the face of a courageous kid. I’ve met a lot of remarkable people in life but none come close to the children who’ve endured and fought cancer. Their courage is captivating.

Mission Statement: The Portrait Project: Courage & Cancer is aimed at capturing the strength and courage of a child fighting cancer. We provide a large canvas portrait to families of children fighting cancer.

Who Benefits: Each family receives a large canvas portrait of their child after an unveiling event held in September each year. Money raised during the event goes to the Dallas based non-profit, The Children's Cancer Fund. It funds childhood cancer research at Children's Medical Center in Dallas and UT Southwestern.

Meagan Harris- Founder, David Quisenberry- Co-Founder/ Photographer