St. Louis Photographer » A Journal by Holly McCaig

This past weekend, I got to do one of my favorite jobs. Shooting for Harrison’s Hope. I’ve photographed their Annual Charity Dinner Auction and am now covering their Annual Golf Tournament to help raise money for Harrison’s Hope. I know I’ve shared their story before, but it can never be told enough.

From the Harrison’s Hope website:

Life is hectic and life gets in the way, however the safety of our children should be our top priority. Each year thousands of children are left unattended in and around cars and most people underestimate the potential consequences. Harrison’s Hope is a national, nonprofit organization committed to educating children and caregivers about the dangers of children being left alone in and around cars.

The Struttmann’s lost Harrison and their world changed forever because he was struck by a van that was left unattended by parents – running while children were inside. They placed the van into gear and within seconds, nothing would be the same.

I invite you to watch the story of Harrison and to read the stories as written by their parents on the website here.

Even though the event that happened was tragic, we still go on as Harrison would have wanted us all to. We enjoyed ourselves this day. My amazing, new assistant, Hollie, saved me. I have NOT one clue about golf. She drove the cart around the course for me and watched so that we didn’t get hit with a golf ball. I learned things like, don’t drive on the green and what a “pin” was. It was a great time. Everyone really came out and enjoyed themselves.

Harrison’s Hope Golf Tournament is on the last Saturday of July, every year. Teams of 3 minimum and just $85 a person to jump in. There are lots of prizes and food and drinks. I invite you all to join up next year if you love golf! A few of my favorite shots and then a slideshow I put together quickly last night. I left out a lot of photos in this particular one because I took so many!

Be sure to let the slideshow load when you hit play. It might take a few minutes as there are LOTS of photos!

On Saturday, I was honored to cover the Harrison’s Hope, Annual Charity Dinner Auction at Rose of the Hill. This is an amazing organization. I think I’ve lost count as to how long I’ve known the Struttmanns. But, they are two of the most amazing people I’ve ever met and just being able to be part of their charity in honor of their lost son is a reward. The event is hosted every year and this year, they outgrew their past location – luckily for us, it’s at a VERY beautiful location with amazing food! The energy was great. I was speaking to Terrill today on the phone about how the event went and we both said the same thing…it just felt awesome there. Something was different this time.

Harrison’s Hope is a national, nonprofit organization committed to educating children and caregivers about the dangers of children being left alone in and around cars. Their campaign, Zero Seconds, is something all parents and/or schools should teach children. You’re already teaching them about the importance of seatbelts and not getting in cars with strangers…why not add this easy bit of information on to that? Educate if you have kids. And, if you want more information about Harrison’s Hope, please feel free to contact me, or visit their website here.

Here’s a slideshow of the images from Saturday evening. Thanks to my mom, Cyndi, for helping cover all the auction items and guest with me! So much fun to have her there and experience first hand what a great organization Harrison’s Hope is.

The slideshow is now up on my Featured section of my photography website, Pink Gnome Foto.

A few more images to share:

This is Sally Carter. Her story about finding her two children locked in the trunk of their car on a hot day was so heart breaking. They had seen her numerous times open the trunk by the driver’s seat. You just never know. She was the guest speaker at the Dinner Auction.

On a lighter note, it was nice to watch people enjoying themselves and honoring Harrison:

Much Love,

P.S. – it was almost 80 out yesterday (well almost) and today it’s sleeting and snowing. Go figure!

I’ve been completely lazy today. L-A-Z-Y!

We stayed up a bit after the dinner auction last night with my mom talking and watching SNL…laughing at the political skits! Perfect! I am a strong supporter and have a lot of political enthusiasm and I enjoy when politicians can take a break from the bickering to have a little fun.

We breaked in the lobby area which was next to the bar – so the smoke really messed with my sinuses which were wreaking havoc on me today. I just don’t do well with cigarette smoke and my only sinus medicine made me sleepy – hence a nap. Oh well, I probably needed it any way!

I picked a couple of photos to edit and show you – as I normally try to NOT work on Sundays other than a quick accounting update. Oh well, I couldn’t NOT show you a few right away! I’ll start work on these in the morning so you can see the full slideshow – which we’ll post on the Harrison’s Hope website. I’m glad you have read my message about it and hope you will share it with your friends and families! Please educate the parents you know!

Her jersey was perfect! It was a football theme with the “GOAL” of zero deaths. Sporting the jersey everyone saw it and everyone can keep the message of Harrison’s Hope fresh. Now, I want one!

Perfect table toppers! You should have watched the oral auction part – so funny those guys were!

Part of the literature to take with you – these posters were quite awesome!

And, my dear friend, Mindy was there! I hadn’t seen her in about three years probably – why we let ourselves get so busy to see friends is beyond me. We used to work together at NAED. And, Mindy inspired me to take the Phoenix courses (I took Basic & Advanced) and it really helped. I think I need to get back to staffing a course again to revitalize me. Of course, this was where I met the Struttman’s that own Harrison’s Hope (his parents).

We had some great weather today – too bad I napped most of it away! But, tried to snap some more photos with this lens – I am SOOOO buying it! When I have money that is! LOL

Okay I’m out!

Much Love,

I have to take a moment today to share with you my job tonight. Tonight, I am honored to be photographing the 6th Annual Dinner Auction for Harrison’s Hope.

To let you know a little about Harrison’s Hope – I met the Struttmann’s oh, about five or six year ago through a personal development seminar. They had been dealing with the loss of their little boy and during that time I learned what had happened to Harrison. Harrison was killed by an on-coming van that had children left unattended inside – they put it into gear. It saddens me so much – and to this day, Michelle, Harrison’s mom still deals with the pain and suffering of being injured during the accident. They have become wonderful friends of mine – though I feel I don’t get to see or talk to them near enough.

They formed the non-profit organization called, Harrison’s Hope, to help educate and raise awareness about death and injury to children left alone in and around cars. I think we all don’t realize how important this is. I have seen mothers leave their children in their cars while they go in and pay for gas. In one split second, something bad could happen. Kids are often playing behind a car in the driveway, only for someone to NOT see them when they back out. These stories will break your heart. So, it’s our job to be more aware and share with others.

It’s my job to do what I can as a photographer to donate my services to charities like Harrison’s Hope. I invite you to visit their website and read their story as well as the statistics in our country. Fortunately, a bill was passed this week through Kids and Cars requiring car makers to improve safety for these situations.

I’ve also donated a session and print to their silent auction. I am excited to come back in the next few days to give you my experience and share some images.

Much Love,