You don't have to be a photographer to GIVE.

Anyone can give...$5 saves a life. To donate go to: www.thirstrelief.org

If you're a photographer and you want to have an amazing mentor...click here:

http://thirstrelief.shootq.com/ 

The auctions start ending tonight at 10pm EST.

happy giving.

Here's the LINK: http://thirstrelief.shootq.com

In a little more than 12 hours you'll have a chance to bid on these fabulous photographer mentors TONIGHT.

Kevin Kubota

Jeffery and Julia Woods

Vicki Taufer

Jasmine Star

David Jay

Mike Colon

Me Ra Koh

Anne Ruthman

Laura Novak

Bob Coates

Erin Hession

Jose Villa

Corey McNabb

Emilie Sommer

Michael + Anna Costa

Cliff Mautner

Dane Sanders

Jim and Lara Davis-Hicks

Bebb Studios: Jen and Stephen Bebb

Justin and Mary Marantz

David Beckstead

Nathan Holritz

Amber Holritz

Chris Humphreys

Millie Holloman

Davide Greene

Kelly Moore

Rodolfo Arpia

Jeff Jochum

Carla Ten Eyck

Carey Schumacher

Tim Holmes: Reddoor Creative...designer for Jessica Claire and Shootsac and me. :)

JVS

Image is Found: Nate and Jaclyn Kaiser

Jules Bianchi

Fred Egan

David Ziser

Sarah Petty

Lauren Clark

Carlos Baez

Cameron Ingalls

Andy and Angie Woods

happy bidding.

win. win.

The Thirst Relief Mentor Benefit is always a highlight of the year for me. It's amazing to get to see the photography world and the global need for clean water come together. I love seeing the goodness and generosity of people. And I know that this year will be no different.

The Thirst Relief Mentor Benefit is an opportunity for you to bid on a 90 minute session with one of your favorite photographers. When you win you get to sit for at least 90 minutes and talk about your business, your shooting style, your portfolio, the needs of your studio, or whatever else you'd like to discuss. Many of these photographers are giving much more than their time, though! (Which is very exciting!) Some are giving away a space to their workshop, actions, products...all kinds of things! So you'll want to make sure to read each auction that you are interested in carefully.

All of the proceeds from the auction go to help women, children, and families to have clean drinking water. Right now, one in five children die from a drinking related illness or disease. Something this simple can easily be avoided and treated. So far, the Thirst Relief has saved over 100,000 people. Please help us again this year.  (You can also become a donor by giving just $5 a month. Five dollars saves a life.  Go here to learn more:  www.thirstrelief.org )

The auction will open on January 29th at 10pm EST When the auction goes live you can click here to register: http://thirstrelief.shootq.com

Just LOOK at this....

Mentor List:

Kevin Kubota

Jeffery and Julia Woods

Vicki Taufer

Jasmine Star

David Jay

Mike Colon

Me Ra Koh

Anne Ruthman

Laura Novak

Bob Coates

Erin Hession

Jose Villa

Corey McNabb

Emilie Sommer

Michael + Anna Costa

Cliff Mautner

Dane Sanders

Jim and Lara Davis-Hicks

Bebb Studios:  Jen and Stephen Bebb

Justin and Mary Marantz

David Beckstead

Nathan Holritz

Amber Holritz

Chris Humphreys

Millie Holloman

Davide Greene

Kelly Moore

Rodolfo Arpia

Jeff Jochum

Carla Ten Eyck

Carey Schumacher

Tim Holmes

JVS

Image is Found: Nate and Jaclyn Kaiser

Jules Bianchi

Fred Egan

David Ziser

Sarah Petty

Lauren Clark

Carlos Baez

Every year I see this list I always am amazed at the wonderful people that give their time and this year is no exception.  I'm so grateful to all of these mentors that have come through for Thirst Relief this year.  It's fabulous.

give. LIFE.

exciting developments.

After arriving home from the Pictage Partnercon I'm so excited about the exciting developments for the next Thirst Relief Mentor Benefit Auction.  Jim was approached by a great group of people who are interested in using their knowledge, expertise, strengths, and talent to help us pull off a great auction experience. 

I'm so thrilled about the possibilities.  We have tried some different approaches and have checked into a number of ways to do the auction.  We've found that we have so many people logging on at once and trying to bid on the same people that it's easy to overload almost any server that is willing to help out Thirst Relief for little to no fees.  This opportunity is a wonderful ray of hope for a great cause.

Already together we have saved thousands of lives.  The Thirst Relief Benefit Auctions have raised over $35,000!!  Children, familes, and villages have been saved by all of those who have given their time, money, and resources to help people around the world to have clean drinking water.  It's such a simple thing that makes a huge difference.

If you'd like to be part of this cause or to help out on the technical and logistical end of things please email me at davina@davinafear.com

If you'd like to save one life or just want to know more, click here.

blessed. LIFE.

wow.

Natalie, Becky's daughter wrote me an email about her mom.  She told me that she was legally blind but didn't let it stop her from living a very full and beautiful life.  When I went to meet Becky I walked into a marriage and family therapy office and met a woman and hesitantly asked if she was Becky.  She had walked right up to me and shook my hand.  I was thinking, "Am I in the right place?  Is this the right lady?"

Over the next hour or so Becky showed me some goggles that she had made to help children be able to see what she sees in her everyday life.  The picture above is how she sees the world.  She has absolutely no peripheral vision to the side of her or above and below her.  She sees only through a little peep hole.  Because her vision is so completely limited she hits her head on things a lot, she's fallen down stairs and tripped over more things than she can count, she can't drive, and she walks every where. 

Becky has a sweet guide dog named Cricket...they go everywhere together.  Cricket, even though she is a young guide dog, is still so protective of Becky.  She keeps Becky from falling into holes and being hit by cars.  As long as Cricket is on her harness she knows she's at work.  She doesn't rush to be pet or ever run off from Becky.  What's amazing is that she is still a puppy.  The moment Cricket is let off of her harness she turns into a wild and crazy puppy.  She runs and chases other dogs, adores getting loved, and races around the yard like a maniac....you wouldn't know it's even in her to be wild when she's at work with her harness on.  She loves to work and to help Becky and you can tell that the relationship between them is a special one. 

The thing that I love about Becky is the way she smiles all of the time.  She laughs and she laughs at herself.  Her perspective on her life is a beautiful thing and I love the time I got to spend with her.  She sees the blessing in every experience.  She uses her own life challenges to bless the lives of others.  Listening to her talk about her job was so inspirational; she had me convinced that I would love to go back to school and get my counseling degree.  The way she talked about the experiences she's had in her profession with clients who are grieving with personal loss of loved ones, of their  deterioriating health, of fighting cancer and the hope and understanding that she gets to give, was touching.

We sat and talked about her life and the process of her losing her vision over her teenage years and into her early twenties, the day she couldn't drive anymore, and the way she looks forward to every spring....and wonders if this will be the last time she will see the flowers that she plants in her garden.

Over her lifetime her vision has gradually faded and at some point she will wake up and not be able to see anything.

As much as this is not something that she is looking forward to, she went for a time completely blindfolded to face that inevitable fear, to stare that tiger in the face and not back down.  After that experience she decided that she would be able to handle her biggest fear. 

Becky's husband went to great lengths in their new home to make sure that she wouldn't be hurt walking around her own house.  He had custom flooring put into each room so that she would be able to tell by her feet what room she was in, he had all of the corners of the walls rounded so that she wouldn't walk into them with her face, he raised the cupboards so that if they were left open she wouldn't walk into them.  I love the dynamic between the Becky and her husband...the friendship, mutual admiration, concern, and love...

Becky hasn't let anything stop her.  While most people with failing or failed vision essentially give up on living a full life, Becky has embraced it.  She is an entrepreneur with her own marriage and family therapy practice, she tandem bikes with her sweet husband in marathons across the country, she gardens, she's raised two children (and managed that without driving a car), and so much more. 

Becky's disease is called Retinitis Pigmentosa.  To learn more about Becky and how you can help fight blindness go to the following websites:  www.fightblindness.org  ; www.blindness.org  ; www.wardelfamily.blogspot.com  and to keep up with Cricket:  www.cruisinwithcricket.blogspot.com 

Both times I got to be with Becky were a gift to be able to see her life and the way she smiles and laughs and makes the best of every aspect of her life.

true. LIFE.