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Operation Photo Rescue embodies the spirit of Christmas all year round. This past year has been amazing in what OPR has accomplished. We had three copy runs: Galveston, TX, Cedar Rapids, IA, and Austell, GA. All of these runs were funded by OPR volunteers and families whose photos we restored. When the letter went out asking for help, you responded immediately. Donations poured in from $2 to $1,000 and all of this during a bleak economy.

Others responded by helping on copy runs or restoring photos for the families. As new members signed on, a common thread as to why they wanted to join emerged—a desire to help others and wanting to use their skills for something worthwhile.

OPR owes so much to our sponsors: PhotoShelter and DigMyPics. It was great that this year I had had the chance to meet Scott Crossen, (co-owner DigMyPics) and his family: Annette, Corey, and Christine. You guys are wonderful!

Sometimes a special gift comes along that keeps on giving way past what you ever hoped for. That gift came from Jim Gage, The Weather Channel, and the video that aired on multiple times and days. Jim felt so strongly about what Operation Photo Rescue was doing that he made an exception by giving us a copy of the video. That video that appears on OPR’s website has touched so many. After an OPR member showed the video to a close friend, that friend was so moved that she promised a check in the mail for OPR. The check arrived a couple of weeks ago  made out for the amount of $5,000.

In Galveston, we will always value the friendship of Brian Davis and Jami Durham of the Galveston Historical Foundation. Every copy run is special, but this was one that I will never forget. Brian, offering to let us stay at the Menard House was a highlight of the trip! It was special to know that OPR could help in restoring priceless historical photos that had been damaged by Hurricane Ike. Early this week, I received this email from Jami:

“This is just wonderful. Words are not able to express my gratitude to you, to Jan and to the entire team at Operation Photo Rescue. You all restored so much more than photos. You will all hold a very special place in my heart forever. I can’t wait to see the photos and do hope they arrive before Christmas, but if they don’t, I have a wonderful surprise to take my mom early in the New Year! Thank you again, so very much. I wish you all the most wonderful holiday season ever! I’ll look forward to seeing you soon in Galveston, where I can give you a great big hug!”

This last year could not have happened without the inner team’s support: Dave, Angela, Jan, Hannie, Tess, Kiska, Becky, and John. Thanks so much for all that you do!

In closing I would like to wish you all a wonderful holiday season and thanks for all that you have given. For some I know this season is hard, because of your loss. George Hoover and David Davies our hearts are with you. Ray Norman, we will miss you Mate!

Margie Hayes

Operation Photo Rescue was approached more than a year ago by Katie Miller, MFA, Associate Professor of Web and Digital Media Development at University Wisconsin-Stevens Point, about getting her students involved in helping restore photos. We communicated by emails infrequently, but that was all to change when earlier this year a letter was sent out to the membership asking for donations to fund a trip to Cedar Rapids, IA that had been hard hit by flooding.

OPR not only received a donation from Katie, but an offer to volunteer as needed for the Cedar Rapids trip.  The Chair of her department at UW-Stevens Point allowed Katie to donate her time volunteering, and the university also granted partial funding to cover some of her travel expenses. Cengage Learning, the publisher of Katie’s photography textbook, Photography for the 21st Century, also donated funds to cover her travel expenses.

This was great news as Katie is an excellent photographer and would be traveling with camera and equipment. I don’t know who was the most excited about the Cedar Rapids trip—Katie or her students. Check more about the trip on Cedar Rapids Blog.

Being involved with Operation Photo Rescue means getting the chance to work with some pretty amazing people and Katie was no exception. Most of the time she worked the camera and we teased her that she would be sore from kneeling and bending over the camera/tripod to get the best picture. Helping Katie was Christine Crossen, daughter of Scott Crossen with DigMyPics. Seeing how well they worked together gave a good indication of her ability to work well with students. Upon returning from their trip, Scott had this to say: “Katie, Christine’s time with you really reinvigorated her love of taking photos and she couldn’t stop talking about you.”

When Katie returned, photos from the Cedar Rapids copy run were available for her students to work on. I asked that she keep me posted about their progress and also send some photos. One of her emails says it all: “My students are now working on OPR files. They’re so engrossed with the work that I have to turn off their monitors to get their attention! Thank goodness there’s a switch at the front of the classroom for that purpose!”

Here are a couple of comments from the students and what the experience meant to them:

“I think that photos are a priceless memory and keepsake. For there to be an organization who helps others when those memories get destroyed or damaged is outstanding. I love that I was given the opportunity to learn about this organization and learn how to do the process myself is something that I’m really grateful for. When working on this photo I was very excited when one section got fixed because I felt like I uncovered another piece of the puzzle. I also got to explore with new tools to do a task and it allowed me to really expand my skills.

 
And from another student:

“The OPR photos we were exposed to in class were part of an enriching learning experience. These photos represented real lives and real feeling of a diverse group of people. We, WDMD students, could express our own emotions through the retouching of these photos. I know I tried to be as precise as I could because I had an idea in the back of my mind that who ever photo I was working on would be greatly appreciated and would bring back fond memories that might have once been lost. These photos gave us a sense of real life and challenged us to develop well thought out retouching techniques. I’m glad I had the opportunity to work on these photos which led me to feel like I was a part of OPR.” 

And from Katie, this note:

“Thanks much Margie! This is really great. From my perspective this has been an excellent project for the students. Not only did it bring them into a real world project, but it also encouraged them to see the importance of photography from a social community perspective. It also honed their visual analysis skills and forced them to learn Photoshop at a whole new level.”

All Photos CourtesyTom Charlesworth

Katie, here is a big salute to you and your students!

Margie Hayes

Operation Photo Rescue had a suscessful copy run in Austell, GA helping eighteen families and bringing back 234 photos. Congratulations to Kiska Moore, Jon Molnar, Eric Stokly, Lisa Vasatka, Laura and Greg Nalesnik, and David and Marge Greenberg. Not only did this group do a great job, but it was their first OPR copy run. (Photos Courtesy: David and Marge Greenberg)

We owe a big thanks to Pat Medlin, Assistant Director, Austell Community Development and Rhonda Lane, Branch Mgr. Cobb County Public Library, for their help in finding us a place to set up headquarters for our copy run. It was decided that the best place would be in the Austell Threadmill Complex (old Coats & Clark thread factory).  There was a very nice suite that had been occupied by FEMA that was made available to us.

Despite some jitters in the beginning the team settle down and did a great job. I think Jon summed it up best: 

I really enjoyed meeting and working with everyone on the team. I was impressed by how fast we assembled into a working team. Plus, the fact that there were no “wall flowers”. Everyone just jumped in and helped and stayed busy. Plus, we all shared a lot of information between us.

Then there were the people we went to help. Although I was in the backroom most of the time shooting, I was still able to meet a few people. I was quite touched by those that we were able to help. The lady I will remember most is the one that Laura mentioned:

One woman said, From now on I am donating to the folks that showed up to help, that’s the Red Cross, the Salvation Army and Operation Photo Rescue. You were there for us.”

 She left with a big smile on her face. I know we made a difference for her!!!

 

 

Aerial shot courtesy of David Tulis of Six Flags Over Georgia.

Operation Photo Rescue (OPR) is planning a photo copy run to Austell, GA to help anyone who suffered flood damage to their photos this last September. Hosted by the city, the OPR team will set up operations at the Austell Threadmill Complex, at 5000 Austell Powder Spring Rd, Suite 107 on  Friday December 4, 2009 through Saturday December 5, 2009. Hours for both days:  8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Anyone needing additional information may contact the City’s Affairs Department at: (770) 944-4309 or Margie Hayes at mhayes@operationphotorescue.org

Shopping center in Austell, GA. courtesy of David Tulis. For more flood photos, see David’s website.  I contacted David to see which areas were hit hardest by the recent flooding and he mentioned Austell. David suggested calling the Cobb County Public Library about hosting the copy run. Both Patricia Latch and Rhonda Lane were instrumental in helping locate a site for our copy run. It was a choice between being in the library or in the Threadmill Complex that had formerly been occupied by FEMA. Since this location was familiar for those seeking disaster relief, it was decided to be the best location. Thanks to Pat Medlin, Assistant Director, Austell Community Development for all her help in making this possible.

Getting around by boat, photo courtesy of David Tulis.

After our recent copy run to Cedar Rapids, we were told of the many people who had thrown away their photos because they didn’t know of our service. We did not want that same fate to happen to the people in Georgia. Despite the timing of holidays coming up and following on the heels of the Cedar Rapids run, OPR felt the need to act as soon as possible. For some the prospect of Thanksgiving and Christmas will be bleak. To be able to restore photos for those who have lost so much, would make the best gift of all!

 Margie Hayes

Photo Courtesy Katie Miller

Group Photo: 1st Row (l-r) Katie Miller, Christine Crossen, Corey Crossen; 2nd Row Margie Hayes, Ed Young Jr.; 3rd Row Annette Crossen, Vicky Sutterfield, Becky Sell, Jan Neil, Scott Crossen.

It seems hard to believe that it has been almost three weeks since our copy run to Cedar Rapids. Since that time we have uploaded those photos to our galleries and the restores are starting to come in. OPR had a total of 30 family orders; 316 images; African American Museum prints around 100. We met some wonderful people who were so happy that we could restore their prints.

Every copy run takes a lot of planning and Becky, Jan, and Vicky worked tirelessly behind the scenes. We want to thank Susan Kruecker, Katharine Hardy, Ed Young Jr. and the staff of the African American Museum for their help in making the beautiful Aldeen Davis Celebration Hall available for our use. Special thanks to Ed’s son Shawndell Young, 11 years, who was there to help with set up and closing up.

While we did not get to meet her in person, Mindy Kayser, Director of Development & Communications for The Salvation Army, was the force in getting the word out about our copy run. Mindy sent out 97 emails to announce our trip and made contact with the local TV station about interviewing us. Her help was priceless!

Katie Miller, professor from UW-Stevens Point, was the main photographer (Becky the 2^nd). It was fun to hear how excited her students were about her trip and how anxious they were to get started on some photos to restore.

Photo Courtesy Jan Neil (Katie Miller & Christine Crossen)

Photo Courtesy Jan Neil (Corey Crossen)

Thanks go out to Scott Crossen (DigMyPics) and his family: wife: Annette; son: Corey; and daughter: Christine. Not only were they fun to be around, but they were a big help and generous in donating supplies. I think we were all blown away at how well Corey and Christine were in taking charge.

 When it came time to pack up and head home, my sister Vicky decided to take the back roads to enjoy the scenery. As we headed out of town, the Cedar Rapids River looked so calm and beautiful that it was hard to believe the destruction it caused some 15 months earlier.

Margie Hayes

The streets of Cedar Rapids, Iowa still show signs of the flood. As one visitor to the Operation Photo Rescue copy-run site at the African American Museum said, much is cleaned up and gutted, but not as much rebuilt. (Photo by Vicky Sutterfield)

Day 1 went well!
We got settled into the African American Museum of Iowa in Cedar Rapids this morning, after heading to the KGAN television station for an early morning interview with Margie Hayes (President).  With one copy-stand for the morning, and setting up another in the afternoon, there was a slow intake of community members with photographs, but gave us time to gather the museum’s photos that were damaged in the flooding.
Throughout the day two more television stations did interviews, as well as the The Gazette (newspaper that did a nice article on OPR) and Iowa Public Radio.  That on top of Margie doing an interview yesterday, and other calendar postings, emails sent, press releases, etc., we hear we will get a large turnout tomorrow (Saturday).
“Can you smell the flood?” one television cameraman said.
It’s true: the photos, albums, and pages after the waters came and went have a smell.  Like dirt and mud and mold and something I can’t seem to describe… like what’s left in a dried up puddle… but bigger.  ”Once you smell it, you never forget it.”
It was a day filled with looking at history in the photographs of the museum, getting everyone ready on the organization of photo intake, some hugs and tears and tremendous stories, some laughs with one another as volunteers got to know each other.

An album of photos is peeled apart and looked through to see what possibilities there are for restoration. (Photo by Jan Neil)

One woman that touched us brought in photos from her brother’s house as a last resort before they were to be thrown away.  Page by page we turned through the albums and picked out what we thought could be salvaged, either by her or by us.  With tears in her crystal blue eyes, she told us about the flood (her house made it through), shared some stories behind the photos, where the children in the photographs are now, and how she was going to give photos salvaged to the loved ones in the them.  On her way home, she was so kind to think of us and bring back some Czech pastries from a bakery in Cedar Rapids.  Such a sweet surprise, and a truly kind and appreciated gesture!
And that’s just one from throughout the day.  It’s always hard when photos are too far-gone for OPR to take on, and hurts our hearts when there is nothing more we can do.  But still so rewarding is when we are able to tell someone that we can restore their treasured photographs, knowing that our amazing network of volunteers are there.

Scott Crossen, from DigMyPics, a continued supporter of OPR by donating printing services, and his family are kicking off their fall vacation by helping with the copy-run!  Jan, Margie, Vickie and Katie are here as well, all plugging away on going through photographs, taking information, copying them with cameras, and inputting the data with the photographs.  Also, thank-you to all of those kind donors who helped fund this copy-run and keep OPR going!  A nice surprise Friday was a donation from Media Recover in the donation of image recovery software as well.  Thank-you for the support!

There is a continuous reminder of what makes OPR what it is: the volunteers.  I feel lucky that we can tell people that we can restore their photographs because we know full-well the talent of the volunteers in OPR and what they can accomplish.

Many of these folks held onto their damaged photographs, smell and all, for 15 months not sure what to do.  Now they know.

On May 26, Jan and I flew back to Galveston to do an interview with Jim Gagne, Producer/Editor for The Weather Channel. OPR had just completed a copy run in Galveston three weeks earlier, when we were contacted by Jim about the possibility of doing an interview for a special running on the first day of hurricane season. Jim felt that OPR’s operation in restoring photos for those hit by Hurricane Ike would make a great story. The only problem would be that we only had a week to pull this together. It is amazing how things came together in what appeared to be an impossible undertaking.

The interview was held at the historical Hotel Galvez built in 1911. Susan Antonelli was interviewed and presented with her four restored photos. Jim in his interview captured the emotions of Susan upon seeing her damaged family photos restored. Unknown until the day of the interview was that Susan’s father is dying of pancreatic cancer. Knowing the joy Susan and her father experienced seeing their family photos restored was a very poignant moment.

On June 1, the segment on OPR aired on The Weather Channel throughout the day. We knew from watching Jim work that this would be special and we were not disappointed. From the start of hearing Susan’s story to watching Jan go through the motions of restoring on her laptop; the final seconds of watching the photo ruined by mold and discoloration turn back in time to its original beauty, was moving!

Thank you Jim!

Margie Hayes

A successful copy run to Galveston, Texas May 1 thru May 3 was capped off with a grant check from the UPS Foundation for $500. Thanks to OPR volunteer Stanley Segawa, an employee of UPS, for submitting OPR for consideration. On March 27, 2009, OPR was notified that we had been chosen to receive the grant.

The copy run to Galveston was made possible by donations. Despite the tight economy and the loss of grant money from the Herb Block Foundation, OPR was able to get enough funds to make the trip to Galveston to help those hit by Hurricane Ike.

Pictured above from left to right on the first row: Jan Neil, Nick Perret holding UPS check, and Dave Ellis. Second row: Dino Cantrelle, Margie Hayes, and Juan Perret. Third Row: Christine Bord, John Matthews, and Pete Hood.

Nine volunteers came from all parts of the country: California, Kansas, New York, Virginia, and Texas to help. Headquarters for the copy run were held in the beautiful historical Michel Menard House built in 1863. A special thanks to Brian Davis, Director of Preservation, and the entire staff of the Galveston Historical Foundation for making this a memorable trip.

Margie Hayes