{ Welcome Danielle + Donate for Devon }

Good morning and Happy Monday!  I have a couple of announcements! First of all, I would like to officially welcome Danielle Storey to the K. Holly Team!  She will be assisting me with stages of my post-processing workflow. She started a few weeks ago and is already proving to be a wonderful asset to the team!  With her help, I am able to open my schedule to a few more sessions, and dedicate more time to my clients and their final images. Danielle is the owner of Sunny Panda, a design and publishing firm here in Grand Rapids.  You can see some of her recent design and personal work here on her blog.  You might also remember her and her cutie-pie daughters from their session last fall!  She and I worked together in real estate marketing before K. Holly Photography became full-time for me.  She has been an amazing friend and colleague, encouraging me and supporting my venture, and opening my eyes to different views of the world, society and art. She and her husband are incredible people, and I am so happy to have them in my life. Please join me in welcoming Danielle!

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The next announcement is for my little friend, Devon.  He and his family will be participating in the Grand Rapids Heart Walk on September 19th.  I won’t be able to walk with them, but I am donating to this wonderful cause that has helped Devon personally. I am asking that you consider a donation that will help provide research and education for the American Heart Association. You can make a donation here on Devon’s Page.

A little about Devon: he was born with a congenital heart defect called Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS), which in short is the underdevelopment or absence of the left side of the heart (aorta, valves, ventricles, etc.).  If left untreated, this defect is fatal within 10 days of birth.  Devon has had three open-heart surgeries, one at 5 days old, one at 6 months old, and one at 18 months old.  Thanks to research funded by the American Heart Association, the doctors at the University of Michigan’s C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital in Ann Arbor, and a lot of prayer and love, Devon is a vibrant, handsome young man ready to enter the fourth grade this coming fall.  Due to the care he received, the effects of his condition are for the most part never exhibited.  In fact, the closest anyone ever comes to seeing the trauma he went through is when he takes his shirt off revealing his “zipper” (the incision scar) running the length of his breastbone.  Those that have had the pleasure of meeting him will tell you that he is an energetic and happy kid and a rabid Tigers and Red Wings fan  :)

Thank you for considering a donation.  On a sidenote, Devon’s family has very recently suffered the loss of a loved one. They could use a few extra prayers and warm thoughts as well.

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Hope you all had a wonderful weekend, and spent time with those you love!  Take a moment today to thank someone for being a part of your life, tell your loved ones how much they mean to you, and let each hug last a moment longer.