We are proud to announce that the LIVESTRONG Foundation has selected Pablove Shutterbugs as a 2014 Community Impact Project! From the LIVESTRONG Foundation’s press release:

Through its annual Community Impact Project, the LIVESTRONG Foundation will spread three established cancer care programs to 39 sites in the U.S. in 2014. The $1 million in awards will fund the replication of the Jeffrey Frank Wacks Music Therapy Program, Pablove Shutterbugs of The Pablove Foundation, and VitalHearts: Secondary Trauma Resiliency. These three programs were selected for their proven ability to provide necessary programming and support to cancer survivors and their families both during and post treatment.

The application process to bring one of these programs to hospitals, cancer centers and community organizations is now open. Communities are eligible to potentially receive all three of these evidence-based programs to better the lives of people affected by cancer in their areas. There are now more than 300 programs in the U.S. that were given seed funding from LIVESTRONG‘s Community Impact Project and continue to provide emotional, practical and financial help to those affected by cancer.

“These programs have shown the ability to provide tremendous care and support across the cancer continuum,” said LIVESTRONG Foundation Vice President of Programs and Strategy, Ruth Rechis, PhD. “Now in partnership with the Community Impact Project, they will have a chance to scale and improve the lives of more cancer patients, survivors and caregivers than ever before. We hope that cancer centers, hospitals and community organizations take advantage of the application period and apply for one of these valuable programs.”

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Pablove Shutterbugs, the signature arts program of The Pablove Foundation, teaches children living with cancer to develop their creative voice through the art of photography. Many of the students are removed from school during their illness and treatment, which leads to a disruption in their daily routines. Through Shutterbugs’ carefully designed curriculum, students have the opportunity to develop pride and an enhanced self-esteem as they learn challenging, new skills. Trained professional photography mentors guide its students through a series of lessons created specifically to encourage photographic creativity. They gain hands-on experience while learning the principles and techniques of photography including the basics of composition, lighting and perspective. Each of their students keeps their point-and-shoot camera kit at the end of the program to encourage them to go out and see the world differently and continue practicing their art form as young photographers. The goals for the students include: increasing their sense of joy, encouraging their creative thinking, fostering their self-esteem and developing their independence.

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The deadline to apply for the one of the Community Impact Project model programs is Friday, Feb. 21 at 5 p.m. CST. Accepted applicants then move onto the project’s online voting campaign, March 24-April 9, which allows the public to determine where the money goes among eight U.S. regions. The awarded sites will be announced on April 15.

Organizations chosen to implement one of the model programs will receive up to $15,600 to support the implementation. They will also receive a toolkit consisting of facilitator manuals, participant materials and evaluation forms; training and support from the model program’s staff; access to additional tools and resources; and a full report on the historical replication of this program upon completion.

Read the full Press Release or visit livestrong.org to learn more about how to bring Pablove Shutterbugs to your community through the 2014 Community Impact Project.