Hope Fundraiser Sessions - Summer 2025
A Season of Fun
It has been my pleasure to work with Hope for Grieving Families over the last few years, supporting the work they are doing locally in Northern Virginia to encourage and come alongside families who have lost a loved one. While we initially planned for a spring themed date in April, weather and conflicts moved our date to June. Upon great recommendation, we set these fundraiser sessions at Bon Air Rose Garden, a true gem in Arlington. We met with four families, in between impending raindrops and a rather humid and misty morning, all on time and ready to go!
The first family came fully equipped with a broken collar bone! This young man boasted of his playground injury (of which we shared - I broke my collar bone several years ago, too), but was also careful enough to take a few photos with his sling off, too. Mom and son shared some sweet moments, and while many boys seem to groan and dread photo sessions, he posed readily and willingly, leading me to where he thought a good background would be! Bon Air offers a small, but lush garden full of roses and florals, a green archway, and a trellised "tunnel" as well.
Next, a family of three, all ready in whites and blues. The little one was a bit shy at first, but she warmed up after a bit of chit chat and some silly prompts with mom and dad. We treated this one mostly as a mommy & me session, focusing on the two girls with our time, but also adding a few with dad, too. The roses were a perfect girly touch. All in all, her smiles lit up the garden!
My third family showed up all in blue and white, too - a theme that continued for the entire morning! This sweet family of four is soon to be five, adding a touch of a maternity vibe to our time together. In coordinating dresses, these two little girls were quite shy until Daddy helped earn a few grins with some silliness. I had time for a few different family poses, some of just the littles, and some of mom with her girls - and we snuck in some of just the parents at the end, too!
The last family showed up just before the rain for the day, but the humidity was beginning to take its toll. We kept up the boys' spirits with good-natured "puppy fart" and other silly "boy noises" to win real smiles (thanks, mom!). Some of the family together, some of just the boys, and then mom requested a few of her with each one individually. The roses lent a beautiful contrast to their blues and grays, and we wrapped everything up on a positive note!
Thanks to all of these families for supporting Hope for Grieving Families, and thank you for trusting me to capture memories for you this summer at Bon Air Rose Garden!
