NEW YORK, Nov. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Saturn sponsored Pictures of Hope, a photography project led by an award-winning photojournalist that gave children in transitional living programs the opportunity to take photos that reflect their hopes and dreams. Those photos were then featured in a set of greeting cards. In October, a number of Saturn retailers across the country hosted reveal events where the children, along with their families, saw their photos for the very first time.
(See video from General Motors at:
http://inr.mediaseed.tv/GM_35919/)
During the summer, Saturn and celebrity photojournalist and author, Linda Solomon visited six transitional housing organizations that provide support services to women and children who have experienced dire circumstances that have impacted their living situations. Solomon conducted photography workshops at each location and the children learned photo composition and photography techniques. The children were then sent on an assignment with a single-use camera to capture photos of their hopes and dreams. Each child had one of their photos featured on a Pictures of Hope greeting card.
The project provided financial help to each of the participating organizations. "The images the children captured in the Pictures of Hope program, and the dreams they represent, are truly inspirational," said Saturn General Manager, Jill Lajdziak. "Saturn and our retailers chose to be a part of this program because the local community has always been extremely important to Saturn and our retailers. We think of this opportunity more as giving forward than giving back."
Saturn funded the program which included providing the finished greeting cards. Each of the participating organizations along with their local Saturn retailer will sell boxes of Pictures of Hope greeting cards with 100 percent of the proceeds benefiting the organizations where the photography workshops were held.
The Pictures of Hope project enables children to define their dreams and then communicate them through photography. "Now, more than ever, it is so important to show children in need that their hopes and dreams matter," said photojournalist Linda Solomon. "Through photography the children build self-esteem, reveal what is in their hearts, and express their hopes for a better life."
The first reveal event took place at Kristi House in Miami, FL while the other five events took place at Saturn retailers in Houston, Phoenix, Austin, San Antonio and Philadelphia on the following dates:
October 2 Saturn of Miami sponsors event at Kristi House in Miami, FL
October 6 Saturn of Southwest Freeway to benefit Star of Hope Mission
in Houston, TX
October 10 Saturn of Scottsdale to benefit Homeward Bound in Phoenix, AZ
October 22 Saturn of Austin to benefit Posada Esperanza in Austin, TX
October 23 Saturn of San Antonio NE to benefit SAMMinistries
October 27 Saturn of Philadelphia to benefit the Drueding Center/
Project Rainbow in Philadelphia, PA
Saturn, a division of General Motors Corp., markets vehicles in the U.S. and Canada through a network of about 440 retailer locations, with a focus on providing innovative products with solid value and excellent customer service. The brand has one of the freshest lineups in the industry with five new vehicles: the Sky roadster, the Aura midsize sedan, the Vue compact crossover, the midsize Outlook crossover and the Astra sport compact car. For the 2009 model year, Saturn will offer three hybrids: the Vue Hybrid, Aura Hybrid and the Vue 2 Mode Hybrid.
Registered journalists can access video, audio, text, graphics and photos for free and unrestricted use at http://www.mediaseed.tv.
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