The Oldham Project is the Recent Recipient of One Powerful Gift   |   Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Jackson National Life Open Endless Possibilities for Growing, Local Non-Profit
Lansing, Michigan– August 31, 2011– Throughout 2011, The Oldham Project has been pushing forward with much enthusiasm. With the announcement of their newest division, Kourageous Kids, as well as the ever-growing Be Bold, Feel Beautiful campaign, The Oldham Project has arrived. The once one-woman team has now grown and with it a call for action was made to find interested parties to help support the non-profit structure of The Oldham Project. The Oldham Project provides free portraits to families and individuals suffering from life-threatening or terminal illnesses in a compassionate and professional manner.
This past month, Jackson National Life gave $5,000 to The Oldham Project to specifically benefit the Kourageous Kids program. The aim of Kouragous Kids is to provide free professional portraits to all children undergoing treatment for life-threatening illnesses. “We are hoping to provide 'fantasy' photo sessions for these children, offering a respite from treatments, needles, hospitals and suffering, as well as giving their parents and loved ones a visual gift that will last for generations to come,” remarks Terri Shaver, Executive Director of The Oldham Project.
Parents are soliciting the services given by The Oldham Project, demanding this type of photography. One parent has said, "Not knowing the outcome of your child's cancer is scary. We never know if they'll respond to treatment. But, God forbid, should something happen, we'll have these photos of our family intact and our child happy."
Children of high risk families or children living in poverty are especially important to reach with this program. Some of these children have never been photographed in their lives, due to the expense. The Oldham Project and its divisions provide all of the photography for free. Each family will receive a CD of retouched images from the child's session and a copyright release to have them printed.
Kourageous Kids hopes to discover, solicit and target children of high and at-risk families, poverty and other special needs for our program, as well as children suffering from other life-threatening illnesses, including but not limited to Muscular Dystrophy, Cystic Fibrosis and Sickle-Cell Anemia. Terri Shaver has been working closely with the MSU Children's Health Initiative, Pediatric Oncologists and Pediatricians and Family Practice Physicians. “Through this effort families will be referred to our program, using the appropriate marketing pieces. I have hopes of photographing 75 total children before the end of the 2011 year,” Shaver adds. The money that has been received from Jackson National Life will help not only in promoting Kourageous Kids, but also ensure each photo session is well equipped. Every child will receivea gift at their session and digital copies of their photographs.
Terri Shaver is ecstatic about the financial gift. “I’m thrilled that Jackson National sees the importance of our mission and give us the ability do deliver services to serve many families and provide memories that will last for generations to come with our Kourageous Kids program. This money will allow us to bring the faces of these children to our community with many billboards throughout the community!”

Shaver continues, “What means so much is that Jackson National Life has such confidence in our ideas! This all couldn’t have come at a better time.”
The Oldham Project is in its third year as an organization. The past few years, the team grew from being single-handedly run by Terri, to a Board of four and now in 2011, the team has grown to a dozen members of passionate individuals from the Lansing area. This past summer, The Oldham Project has been forced to move into a temporary space. Terri Shaver has hopes that a permanent residence will be found by year’s end. Nonetheless, with the new and much needed funds now available, Kourageous Kids will continue in full swing and children will be coming through these doors with hope and leaving with a phenomenal experience.
To learn more about The Oldham Project, Be Bold, Feel Beautiful and Kourageous Kids, please visit www.theoldhamproject.org.
If you know anyone who is battling cancer or any other life-threatening illness and would like to have them photographed, please contact terri@theoldhamproject.org

Press Inquiries, please contact:
Terri Shaver Executive Director
The Oldham Project
terri@theoldhamproject.org
517.256.0490

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