Kids Contest Benefits Childrens Miracle Network
Plans are being finalized for our 15th annual Children’s Portrait Contest that benefits the Children’s Miracle Network. The proceeds of the public voting are donated in full to the local charity that helps sick children.
Ben Thom 2010 First Place
Ian McDonell 2010 Second Place
In 1999, after several years of sponsoring the contest, we decided to open the voting to the public as a way to raise funds for a local charity. The Children’s Miracle Network was selected because of it’s outstanding work with children and families challenged by illness. Since that time, Phil Ziesemer Photography, Ltd. has raised over $10,000 for the network which is headquartered at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Marshfield, Wisconsin, about an hour south of our location.
Last year, Ben Thom, the son of Josh and Tina Thom, Merrill, won first place, while Ian McDonell, son of Vanessa and Bob McDonell, Wausau, placed second. Third place was won by Collin Gennrich, son of Mike and Aimee Gennrich, Merrill, and the Photographers Choice award went to Fawna Byer, daughter of Jessica Byer, also of Merrill. Each winner received a 16×20 inch wall portrait and a $50.00 savings bond from the studio.
Collin Gennrich 2010 Third Place
This is an event in which everyone wins. Yes, there are some portrait prints and savings bonds that are given away, but every entrant family receives a family portrait certificate too. Family portraits are so important because they show the love and growth of those who are most important in our lives.
This year the contest will run from February 1 to March 4. The studio will lower it’s session fee and include a 5×7 inch portrait for the judging. After all of the parents have made their selections for the contest, the public will be able to vote with their dollars for the best, or cutest, child’s portrait. The top three winners are determined by the level of donations that are made. The photographers choice is selected by the studio. All of the money that is collected during the balloting is sent to the CMN.
The donation to the Children’s Miracle Network was one of our first efforts to use our talents to help other people. From there we added our Turkey Daze promotion in the fall to help the Community Food Pantry. We charge our clients a frozen turkey as payment for a portrait session fee, and then we donate the bird to the pantry in the client’s name. I
Fawna Byer 2010 Photographer's Choice
think that both of the events are good ways to raise awareness of the fact that there are people in our community that could use some help. Last November we donated eight turkeys to the Community Food Pantry. We wish that there had been more interest but there were factors that limited the number of family portraits that we did that month. But those factors will not deter us from trying to render community service to our home town.
Our children’s portrait contest is an event that we look forward to each year. It is placed in the early part of the year when we have a little extra time to devote to the kids. A child’s portrait session, depending on the age can be a little longer than an adult session. That is simply because the younger children don’t always understand the process. So, we put on our “patience” hats, play with them, do any goofy thing that we can think of to gain their trust and keep their attention. It sounds like a process but, really, it’s just having fun in the camera room.
