Over the past few years a little voice inside my head kept telling me I needed to do more – I needed to give back to the world around me. I responded by giving my time and talents to local causes – Habitat for Humanity and Ridgefield Operation for Animal Rescue – to name two. I loved it but as I got busier I found I had less time to give.

At the end of 2009 I found myself pondering these questions – 1) who do I want to give back to and 2) how do I want to give back. I knew pretty quickly on that I wanted to help women and children. I ended up choosing two organizations – Save the Children and Grameen Foundation. Both of these organization currently have an A rating with Charity Watch. Save the Children was an easy decision for me – I’ve been involved in the lives of children – be it babysitting, nanny, juniors rowing coach or photographing them since I was 11 years old – perfect fit!

Grameen came on my radar when a Facebook friend referred them to me. In regards to helping women I wanted help them in power and better their circumstances. I started researching micro loan organizations. The majority of the people helped by these organizations are poor women who want to make a change in their lives and the lives of those around them. Hard part was finding a micro loan organization that truly did what it said it would. With the combination of my friend’s referral and their Charity Watch rating I’m confident Grameen Foundation is an excellent match.

Here’s my plan for donating: Complete a session with me this year and I will donate $25 to either Save the Children or Grameen Foundation in your name. I would like you to help me choose which charity you would like the money to go to. For those that have no preference, in December I will evenly divide the money and donate to both organizations. I’m really excited to start giving back in this way and thank-you for helping me make it happen!!