One of the best things about being a photographer is learning people’s stories. I have met the most incredible people along this path that I have taken, and gotten to know friends on an entirely different level. The subjects that come up are very revealing and I feel so privileged that those that I photograph have trusted me with documenting the stories of their lives.
One good friend, Kevan Kjar of www.threequest.com, recently contacted me about taking head shots of him for his website. We had a great time talking and he seemed to find great pleasure in learning all about my assistant that day. He has a gift for story and can extract information with the greatest of ease.
At the end of our session, Kevan showed me a little white box. He asked if I would be willing to take additional photos of one of the items he uses for some of his presentations. “It is very fragile”, he said. He was afraid that in his travels around the world it would be damaged. A photograph would work much better.
And then he told me this story:
“Mike Espinilla lives in the Philippines. He was born with polio, and when he went to school the other children called him ‘spaghetti legs’. Mike grew up and married and had three children. But because of their poverty one of their children died. Mike knew he needed to do something with his life. He got the idea of taking used fluorescent tubes and turning them into beautiful glass figurines. The problem though was that he needed money to do that, and he didn’t have any.
Mike tried to go to a bank to get a loan, but when they saw him come in, the guards kicked him out because he did not have an account there. He tried loan-sharks that charged 20% per day. Mike even pawned his own home for $200 dollars to buy a compressor to help make the figurines, but he could never get ahead of his expenses.
Enter Mentors International. Mike met with them and got a $100 loan at a very reasonable rate. With that money, Mike bought several used florescent tubes that he kept at his home. He got ahead of his expenses, paid back his loan. In the meantime, Mentors taught and mentored Mike in the basics of successful business. He took out another small loan, then paid that back. Mike’s business grew 5x over, and now he mentors others who were in his situation. Mike is a strength in his community and has real pride in his successful business. What made the difference for Mike and his family was Mentors International, who gave Mike a hand-up, rather than a hand-out.”
So I share with you this inspirational story of how a few can change so many people’s lives. And because a photo is worth a thousand words, I share one of my favorite photos of Mike’s beautiful swan.
If you are interested in learning more about Mentors International, please visit www.mentorsinternational.org. They have helped many by changing the circumstances of one story at a time.
photo of Mike courtesy of Mentors International.
