For those of you accessing this link to view the images from the MDA Gala, the link is currently being redirected here to our blog until the images are edited and uploaded for viewing. You will be able to see a few of our (RP) favorites from the event that we wanted to share. The full proofs for the event will be available by Friday of this week for viewing/purchase out of which all proceeds will be donated to the MDA in hopes of sending just a few more of the kids to camp! Once the images are ready the link will then take you directly to the online gallery for viewing.
For our loyal blog viewers and newbies to our blog we are going to share a little bit about the Gala and our experience while behind the scenes of it all and the reason why we felt the need to contribute to the MDA in 2006 and 2007.
For those of you who have been following you are most likely aware that we donated our time to photograph a little of “Camp Maria” in Leonardtown, MD last year in 2006. Let me just tell you that the immense appreciation that the children have for this camp is just profound.
We were approached by a past client, dear friend, and employee of the MDA who asked us if we would cover the event. We immediately stepped up and declined any payment from the MDA in return for our services. As a young girl growing up I can vividly remember watching the Jerry Lewis 21 1/2 hour telethon as my Mother would remind us of how grateful we should be for our lives and health. My Mother would wait it out till almost the end and then pick up the phone, even if only to donate very little to the fund as my parents themselves struggled. Although sometimes I thought it was more in hopes that she was able to speak with Jerry! But either way through that telethon we as children were able to see how much these children really needed the money to help improve the quality of their lives while here with us. I did not really think too much more about the telethon or the MDA while living my life day to day till eventually becoming a nurse for Hospice in which I saw so many different diagnoses that seemed so horrible to have to live through. It was not until I took care of my first patient with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (AKA: ALS or Lou Gehrigs’s Disease.) He was an employee of the United States Postal Service, until he could no longer perform the daily tasks needed to do his job. He was newly married with step-children that he loved as if they were his own when shortly after he was diagnosed with the disease. I watched as he and his wife coped day to day, as he vastly withered away losing control over all the muscles in his body becoming helpless and in such pain as the days went on until he and his family lost the fight to ALS. I attended his funeral on behalf of Hospice and cried with his family over such a great loss. Up until last May I thought that there was nothing I could do to help in his fight against ALS, other then make him comfortable until it hit me that finally we as a family could give of ourselves in order to help that fight continue for that family and all the families and individuals who are still enduring the fight to find a cure for the 43 known muscular diseases that are out there. So we took our kids and headed out to camp for the day in order to help document and allow the MDA to show everyone just how much this camp means to these children who attend and benefit from it each year. Something our children have the opportunity to do every day of their lives.
Last nights Gala is held every year in honor of Mattie J.T. Stephanek whose mother is also currently fighting a muscular disease after losing four of her young children to muscular disease. After hearing Mattie’s Mom speak last night it made me realize how much we as a family take for granted as well. All the luxuries we all have in life. With this said we felt the need to add the link to our website where you could go and donate money to the Association to make a difference even if it is as small as sacraficing the morning latte or even Biggie sizing your fries. Just imagine if Wendy’s would donate every .39 cents they collected from making your order Biggie size to the MDA what a difference it would make, or even Starbucks to donate every clients’ 5th friday latte to the association what a difference it would make. Or better yet if out of 20,000 hits a month that we receive from this blog if each hit/individual donated $1.00 what a difference that would make!
On behalf of Regeti’s we ask that you consider making a donation regardless of the amount:
Make Your Donation.
Here are some of the images that were shot of the Annual Heartsongs Gala held every year, created with Mattie’s vision and in his name, to carry on his passionate belief that together, we will make a difference.
(Featured country for the Gala was The Philippines)
L to R: James McWhorter (Owner of L&M Produce), Yasmin Abadian of Long & Foster’s Potomac Village, Comedian Larry Miller.
L to R: Ms. Jeni Stepanek, Ron Kuley the Representative for the International Association of Firefighters whose Fill the Boot Campaign has raised a phenomenal $275 Million since its inception in 1954.
Donald Kahn (President of Procurement for Dade Paper)
L to R: James McWhorter (Owner of L&M Produce), Yasmin Abadian of Long & Foster’s Potomac Village. Our wedding couple to be wed on March 24th, 2007. Congrats !!!
R to L: Jeni, Timothy P. O’Brien (Attorney at Law, Joseph Greenwald & Laake, P.A.) and Guest
Willy C. Gaa (Amabassador, Philippines)
Tony Perkins from FOX 5, EMCEE of the evening.
L to R: Tony Perkins and Hank Cominiello (President, Eastern Division Safeway Inc. who received the 2007 Mattie J.T. Stepanek Heartsongs Award on behalf of Safeway Inc.)
Below are images of The Philipino American Cultural Arts Society (PACAS).
These pictures are spectacular! Thanks again for all your hard work…you guys are the best!