SkipCohenUniversity
  • Home
  • SCU Blog
  • Our Podcasts
  • About Us

Five Reasons Why You Should Volunteer with NILMDTS

10/8/2014

10 Comments

 
First Byte:  It's just a fun experiment. First Bytes are 1-2 minute summaries and suggestions that tie directly to a specific blog post. I'm hoping they're helpful in expanding the topic of the post itself.

Intro by Skip Cohen

Technically, recruitment month for NILMDTS is over, but the response to all of these guest posts has been incredible. So, I've told the NILMDTS team as long as they keep sending SCU great content, we'll share a new guest post each week. (For those of you involved with NILMDTS, please contact Tiffany Kapler if you've got an interest in sharing your story on the SCU blog.)

This guest post from Christine Tripp, a NILMDTS Affiliated Photographer in Ottawa, Canada really hits some great points we don't always think about. While the core reason to be involved in NILMDTS is simply giving back, there are some terrific benefits. My personal favorite is Christine's first point about "education and training." NILMDTS is one of the industry's biggest supporters of education and helping you build a stronger skill set.

Interested in finding out more about NILMDTS? Just click the banner below.
Picture

Picture
Picture
by Christine Tripp
 
I’ll never forget my first session with Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep (NILMDTS). Even though I was properly trained and educated before starting, I remember how terrified I was. I remember asking myself how was I going to make it through without crying. I was about to see a baby who had died and meet a devastated family.

I remember walking down the hospital hallway, camera bag in hand, motivation in my mind, and out of nowhere I just broke down and started crying. I was all alone and ducked off to a small hallway beside the main one. I had not yet met the family, but I truly felt their loss. I took a few seconds to catch my breath and regroup and then with tears wiped, I continued toward the nurses’ station. Somehow I managed to stay professional throughout the session and didn’t cry again until later. To this date, it was the most emotionally challenging of sessions I have ever done, and yet one I felt so passionate about.


Over the years, I have continued to offer my services to NILMDTS and have documented numerous babies whom had either already passed or who were about to. After receiving many notes of thank you, I realize how important these sessions are to help families heal after such a loss.


Picture
It’s something that terrifies me every time, yet makes me proud to be a member. If you are a professional photographer, here are five reasons you should consider volunteering with NILMDTS:

  • Training and Education: NILMDTS makes sure all volunteers have the appropriate education and training needed to make every session go well. In addition to offering training and education prior to volunteering, they also offer members continued education online, through webcasts as well as through professional videos. 
  • Support Services: In addition to support from the NILMDTS headquarters, there is also an online support forum as well as grief support videos and online private member area, all of which are designed to support volunteers on an ongoing basis.
  • Helping others: There is no greater feeling than knowing you are helping people. Photographing parents and their terminally ill or deceased baby may be difficult, but it is a gift the parents will cherish forever, and is something that would not be possible if it were not for professional photographers donating their time and skill.
  • Sense of community:  For a nominal fee, NILMDTS volunteers become NILMDTS members, so they essentially become a part of a community. They have access to all support and training services as well as a community of like-minded people.
  • Member benefits: Because volunteers become members, they have access to a variety of services, including marketing and promotion opportunities as well as liability coverage and vendor discounts.

If you are looking to volunteer your time with an organization that will forever help people, then please look into Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep. For more information, please visit their website.

10 Comments
Tiffany Kapler link
10/10/2014 05:22:12 am

Thank you so much, Skip, for sharing Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep with your readers! I also want to share my gratitude to Baby Olivia's family for sharing their images for this piece. Christine's beautiful images of Olivia and her parents share a 6th reason to volunteer in a way that words cannot.
Tiffany Kapler
Recruitment Coordinator
www.nowilaymedowntosleep.org

Reply
christi coppedge link
10/10/2014 05:25:51 am

I am not a professional, but love the art of capturing those moments that can't be replaced. Im a 40 year old mother if two girls 14 & 10. At 18 I had a miscarriage & only wished There was something like this had been available to me. I have done some on a personal level. In addition I have a 14 year old daughter that's gas Crohns disease so I am quite familiar with the sensitive matters at hand. As a matter of fact last month she had to have a life saving surgery. I would be honored to help in tho journey. I live in the Dallas area. Affectionately,
Christi

Reply
Tiffany Kapler link
10/13/2014 11:44:25 am

Christi,
Thank you so much for you heart to serve our Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep families. We do not require that our volunteers be professional photographers. However we do require that they have professional level skills. In particular we look for applicants who have skills in portraiture posing and auxiliary lighting (off-camera flash or strobes, etc.). If you feel like you have the necessary skills, please consider applying. For more detailed criteria, take a look at our website: https://www.nowilaymedowntosleep.org/volunteer/photographer-application/. It sounds like you really enjoy photography, so if you feel like your skills aren't quite what we are looking for, I encourage you to continue practicing and perhaps take a class to bolster your skills where you need to. We will need volunteers for many years to come, and would very much look forward to receiving you application when you feel ready - tomorrow or in a year.

Reply
Barbara Johnson
10/10/2014 05:36:34 am

I worked as a hospital newborn baby photographer for MOM365 for 2yrs. I did do sessions with families of stillborn. I also have an Associates Degree in Family Service via Dignity Memorial Funeral and Cemetery Cooperation.

Reply
Tiffany Kapler
10/13/2014 11:45:59 am

Barbary, It sounds like you could be a great fit for our Affiliated Photographer volunteer position. I encourage you to visit our website and apply. All of the information you need can be found here: https://www.nowilaymedowntosleep.org/volunteer/photographer-application/

Thank you so much!

Reply
Louise Reichwein
10/10/2014 05:36:53 am

i would love to do this but first I need some training with my camera. It will help my healing by helping others. Thank you for this

Reply
J Young
10/10/2014 05:43:21 am

Other then photography thing, is there other ways of being able to volunteer? I am interested, but I am not a professional photographer

Reply
Tiffany Kapler
10/13/2014 11:47:44 am

Absolutely! Thank you so much for your interest in using your own unique talents to support the organization. Please visit our website and look under the "Volunteers" heading. All of the positions are listed, and each choice offers job descriptions and/or more information for applying. www.nowilaymedowntosleep.org.

Thank you!

Reply
Christine Tripp link
10/10/2014 12:41:49 pm

Thank you Skip for publishing this, even after the month was up. :)
I hope it helps to recruit other volunteers.
Christine

Reply
Tiffany Kapler
10/13/2014 11:48:38 am

Thank YOU, Christine, for sharing your writing!

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    November 2016
    August 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013

Categories​

Business
Marketing
Technique
Sales
Fast Food Fridays
​

Podcasts

Tamron Recipes 
Beyond Technique
Why?
Mind Your Own Business
Pro Photographer Journey

 Partners

Tamron
PhotoTexting

​Lumix

Marathon Press
​Platypod
©  2019 Skip Cohen University
  • Home
  • SCU Blog
  • Our Podcasts
  • About Us