email : Webview : StudioNews: When You're Smiling The Whole World Smiles

Dear Friend,

There has been so much going on at the studio in these first few months of 2014. I always love the start of the year which gives me an opportunity to regroup, reflect, and reenergize for the year ahead. We have already been busy photographing – within the warm walls of the studio during this chilly winter and at local businesses, including the new 5^th Avenue New York Kids Club – and planning for our year ahead.

Part of my annual planning always includes scheduling time to give back. March is the start of our silent auction season – supporting organizations and schools that are important to me and my families with a donation of a Fine Art Portrait Experience from the studio. If you have a school or organization that could use a special donation for an auction or other fundraising initiative send me a quick email or put me in touch with the charity directly.

March is also the time of year that I begin rolling things out for our Celebration of Smiles event. This day is so important to me that I am focusing my whole newsletter on it this quarter. Please support the event by taking one – OR MORE – of the following actions.

Book a Smile Session Make a Donation Tell your Friends

Read more below about this terrific fundraiser we are holding at the studio on Saturday, April 5th, and give me a call at 917-669-3711 to take your action today.

Thank you for the support and for helping us bring smiles to the faces of children and families all over the world!

Warmest wishes,

Virginia

One life changing surgery only costs $240.

These before and after images show what a difference you can make by scheduling your Smile Session on April 5, 2014.

CELEBRATION OF SMILES DAY is Back!

On April 5, Virginia L. S. Freire Photography will team up with an elite group of photographers around the country in a very special portrait promotion supporting Operation Smile. Operation Smile provides free surgeries for children around the world who suffer with cleft lips, cleft palates and other facial deformities. Last year, we were selected as a Top Tier studio raising more than $1,300 and saving more than five smiles through “Smile Sessions” and additional donations. Let’s make this year rock even more!

Our annual Celebration of Smiles Day is a wonderful opportunity for you to update portraits of yourself and any family members you wish while making a contribution to an amazing cause. Who can’t smile about that?

How it works: It is simple, really. Along with other members of Professional Photographers of America (PPA), I am offering the gift of an individual portrait session and a desk-size portrait in exchange for a $24 donation to PPA Charities, which has chosen Operation Smile as its charitable partner. For every 10 individuals we photograph, another child will receive the gift of surgery! It costs as little as $240 for Operation Smile's medical volunteers to provide a life-saving surgery that can take as little as 45 minutes. One hundred percent of each donation will go to Operation Smile.

To make this day even more awesome, Johnny and I are putting our money where our smiles are to help turn one surgery into two! We will match the first ten $24 donations turning $240 into $480 – that is two life-changing surgeries, two smiles saved. That’s how much we believe in this cause and our Celebration of Smiles event. You can help us get there by booking your Smile Session and/or making a donation!

There’s more! We have already received our first $120 donation. In addition to (or in lieu of) your Smile Session, you can also make a donation to help us save more smiles!

And we just can’t stop. We will be donating 10% of any additional purchases made from Smile Sessions.

Our Celebration of Smiles Day is also a wonderful way to teach children the value of reaching out to others. Even small children can understand the importance of Operation Smile’s work, and they are eager to help these needy children. We hope you will join with us in helping to make this vital work possible, and we promise to create a portrait that you will treasure.

To schedule your Smile Session appointment, please call us today at 917-669-3711. Additional details are also available on our blog at www.virginiafreireblog.com or at our dedicated Celebration of Smiles page.