We had another productive planning conference call last night. Below are some of the key points and next steps.

Sam is creating a sign-up sheet that will be available around mid-week. We currently have 44 members who have joined for the Orlando group, but we need to start identifying the actual number of volunteers who will be attending the event. We would like to be able to provide coverage at both of the Coalition campuses, but we need to determine our actual numbers to see if that will be possible. So when the page is available, please fill out the form only if you are able to commit to attending. The form will also include a list of the different tasks that will need to done, so please check off those that you are cable of performing. For example, the list will include 2 lines for photographer (one will be if you are comfortable shooting with strobes, and the other will be if you are comfortable shooting outdoor portraits). this will provide a better idea of the number of photographers that we have available to cover each area. The form will also ask about your equipment, and also the time that you are available on that day (it does not need to be the entire day, whatever time you can give is greatly appreciated).

We will have a press release going out to the local media outlets later this week. The intent behind this is not to gain publicity for our efforts, but rather to raise the awareness level of the business community to the project in an effort to help us secure some needed sponsorship/donations. To that end, we will also have a website up this week that we will use to direct any potential sponsor/donors to that will provide them with key message points about the Help-Portrait project and the Orlando group's plans. By the way, we now have a Twitter account active, and we will begin utilize that, as well as the website and this page to communicate updates. The Twitter username is @helpportraitORL. We also have established an e-mail address to help communicate directly with sponsors and our group. The address is helpportraitorlando@cfl.rr.com,

In terms of sponsors/donors, our primary needs are to try and secure a resource or resources to provide the printing of the images for us. We will not be attempting to print on site as all of our subjects either reside at the faculty or are enrolled in an ongoing program, which will allow for the delivery of the prints at a later date. The Coalition staff will then handle the distribution. We are anticipating that we are probably looking at between 350-400 prints that will be required (this could be less if we are only able to cover the main campus).

If you have any connections with possible sponsors/donors, please either post the details or send an e-mail.

We also discussed as a secondary goal, trying to provide a frame with each portrait. This would require a larger donation amount, so we are approaching this as a nice to have rather than a need to have. Another less costly option might be to provide the cardboard photo folders.

We are planning on having some kind of get together a week or so prior to the event to allow everyone to meet each other, discuss the details of the event and finalize any decisions that might still need to be nailed down.

The Help-Portrait team is soon going to have t-shirts available to order (the main site has a photo of what they will look like). No word on pricing yet, and they are by no means a requirement, but we will pass the word once they become available.

We are still in need of make-up artists for the event. If you know of anyone who might be willing to help out, please have them sign-up or contact us via the e-mail address. We will be trying to secure some donations or funding to help cover the cost of their supplies.

As far as how the process will look on the event day, a lot will depend on the number of volunteers that we end up with working that day. Once we have a better handle on the numbers who can commit, we can open the discussion as to how the group best thinks that we should set things up.

Please continue to post any and all ideas , questions or concerns on this board or send an e-mail if you would prefer. The Central Florida photography community can be very proud of its commitment to reaching out to help those in need, as is clearly evidenced by the size of our group (44 and counting). As big an impact as I expect our event will have on those we will be helping, I also believe that each of us will receive as much if not more back in return.