David Grupa Named NILMDTS February Volunteer of the Month

 

David Grupa
Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep Volunteer of the Month
February 2011

The Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep Volunteer of the Month for February is David Grupa from Maplewood, Minnesota. David has been a NILMDTS photographer since 2006 and is also a Membership Application Committee (MAC) Member.

David was nominated by Area Coordinator Sheri Wegner for his continued dedication to taking sessions and serving as a continuous reminder that this truly does help families. For example, this past Christmas Eve David took 3 NILMDTS sessions.

"It took most of his day at two different hospitals. He was called for one, sent on a second and took the third because he was already at the hospital for the 2nd session so a different photographer was spared. That was pretty remarkable," stated Wegner.

Mary Louise Delano, Area Coordinator and MAC member, says, "David has always been willing to help me out if I needed technical advice, needed to talk about an applicant or just to chat. He is a true asset to NILMDTS."

Additionally, Vicki Zoller, Area Coordinator and MAC member, says, "Being a part of NILMDTS has allowed me to make some amazing new friends all over the world. David is one of those! We both serve on the MAC team and his expertise in photography, professional demeanor and great sense of humor help to make our tasks easier and certainly more enjoyable. It takes commitment to run a studio/business, to teach, to volunteer as a photographer, as well as a MAC member, and still bring quality to all those tasks! Not many are capable of that, but David is! Congratulations David on VOM. It is well deserved and definitely earned!"

From our headquarters office, "Thank you David and all of our other wonderful volunteers who helped families in need during the holidays. We know this means that you are away from your own families and guests and we so appreciate you taking the time to help others. The heart to serve, commitment to the NILMDTS mission, and dedication by our volunteers over the holidays is remarkable!"

NOW I LAY ME DOWN TO SLEEP is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, IRS EIN# 77-0656322.
All proceeds go directly into the operation of this organization to help parents who are experiencing an early infant loss.

©Copyright 2011 NOW I LAY ME DOWN TO SLEEP 

Your photographic talent can make a difference in the life of a family.

While we're on the subject of making changes for 2011, I'd like to introduce a new wrinkle to the discussion.

Many of you may be familiar with the organization called Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep (NILMDTS). Sandy Puc and Cheryl Haggard founded the organization in April 2005 and called it Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep after the children’s bedtime prayer. The Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep Foundation administers a network of approximately 7000 volunteer photographers in the United States and nineteen International countries who provide no-cost bereavement photography services to families suffering the loss of a child. The task of photographing is not an easy one, but it is extremely worthwhile. For many parents, these will be the only professional photographs ever created of their child.

NILMDTS volunteer photographers are asked to be "on-call" a few dates each month. The actual number will depend on how many NILMDTS volunteers are in your service area. Some of these days the phone will remain silent, while others it rings with a call from the hospitals served by NILMDTS. Once a session is photographed, the photographer edits, color-corrects and retouches the images. They are then resized and burned to a CD for the family's personal use. All copyrights are surrendered to the family. Most photographers also prepare a DVD slideshow of the images for the family as well. The expected turnaround on these services is 4 weeks.

We've been given an incredible gift; the ability to earn a living doing something we love. I'm asking you to consider volunteering your services for this very worthwhile organization. Applicant photographers asked to complete a brief online questionnaire.

Once your work is reviewed and accepted, you will be contacted by local coordinators to arrange training.

PLEASE NOTE: Applicants are expected to have a website showing a good working knowledge of technical skills, exposure techniques and auxiliary lighting. Because we often work in hospitals where lighting conditions are less than ideal, you will be asked to display work created with auxiliary lighting equipment. Available-light-only photographers are rarely accepted.

Since the review process can take up to 8 weeks, please be patient.

If you have any questions at all, please go ahead and post them so we can do our best to provide you with answers.

Thanks for considering NILMDTS.


- David Grupa