Thanks to all of your generous support, we have raised enough money to purchase the VR software!!!  This was our first fundraiser and it wouldn't have been as successful as it was without all of you.  We raised our goal of $900.00 in only a couple weeks!  This money will pay for the VR stitching software we have been needing to create virtual reality videos for the Nobelity Project.  We have a lot of work ahead of us with these videos, but I can't wait to get started and continue to support the Nobelity Project and the wonderful people of Kenya!  Thank you!

​Artist Couple

     There are few things more rewarding in this world for me than telling stories through my photography and working with nonprofits.  What happens when you combine the two? An experience of a lifetime.

     There was a week left to go.  "Okay, what's left to do?  Still need to get my visa, that shouldn't be too bad.  Except wait, my passport expires in less than 6 months!  Okay, okay, don't worry I'll just pay to expedite it.  That shouldn't take very long," I thought..  "Three weeks?  THREE WEEKS!"  My dream was slowly slipping into the ephemeral void in which dreams reside.  "Well, what else do I need?" I asked myself, trying to stay positive. I could still make this happen, not all was lost.  Plane tickets, hotel reservations, learning the new cameras, plan B incase I didn't make a flight, (which is a very common thing when you fly stand-by like I do).  I also need to pack, "what's the weather like in Kenya anyways?  Well it's Africa and right on the equator, so shorts and t-shirts with maybe a pair of pants and a long-sleeve for the nights, just in case."  

     The week flew by and before I knew it, it was the night before I was supposed to leave.  New passport in-hand, hotel and flight itinerary neatly organized and sequenced, camera gear charged and all crammed into my carry-on, visa approved,
I did it. I was ready. 

     I arrived in Nairobi after an arduous journey of airports and sodium filled ready-heat airplane meals.  I knew I would only have one night to recover before I made the three and a half hour drive to the Aberdares, where I would meet up with the rest of the team and start working, but I just couldn't sleep..​  This opportunity was a dream come true, 3 years in the making; how could I sleep now? 

     The rising of the sun marked my first official day in Kenya and a long slow drive to meet up with the team.  My internal clock thoroughly out of time, I enjoyed my first of many cups of Kenyan coffee as I waited for my driver to arrive.  

     In Kenya the speed-limit, pretty much everywhere, is 80kph (about 50 miles-an-hour), which makes pretty much any cross-country drive feel like it takes forever.  However, I couldn't be bothered, I had a whole new country to absorb!  Luckily, I also had an awesome driver, Mike. He gave me the 5-star tour of his home country, which was perfect because I found myself not knowing basically anything about it.

     A few hours later, Mike and I pulled into the Aberdare Country Club. Located on its own 1,300 acre national park, I finally met up with Christy, Turk and Steve, the team I would be with for the next 10 days.  That night Steve and I got to walk with our first wild Giraffes. We all enjoyed our first meal together while we exchanged stories about our travels and the plan for tomorrow.  
​     Later that night, I laid in bed with my battery chargers casting an alternating glow of red and green lights against the wall, and while I drifted off to sleep, the reality of the responsibility I had taken on with representing these children, families, communities and organization began to sink in...

​...to be continued
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​Artist Couple