#ourbestshots Archives - Page 2 of 15 - James DeCamp Photography

DTFA – The Patterson Family

This is the twelfth of an ongoing series of assignments that I have had for the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. This was a very meaningful project for me, as I too was adopted, but I had found a forever family when I was only months old. Many of the children I have documented in this series were not so fortunate, spending years in a system that passed them from one home to another until DTFA stepped in and helped them find a stable home life and loving forever family.

WHO KNEW A GAME OF UNO COULD CHANGE YOUR LIFE?

By Jacquelynn Patterson

Jacquelynn and Kevin Patterson are adoptive parents from Kevil, Kentucky. They have three daughters. Their oldest, Haylee, was adopted through the Foundation’s Wendy’s Wonderful Kids program.

Our daughter, Haylee, came home to us at age 13. After living a life of uncertainty, growing up in homes that were deemed unsafe and foster homes that were not permanent, our daughter is finally home.

We met Haylee in September 2016. We weren’t sure what we were getting into, but we knew the need for foster-to-adopt families in Kentucky was critical. We also knew that teenagers were being overlooked and that thousands of teens needed loving parents. We wanted to be that family for a teenager.

During our first meeting, Haylee was shy, and it was hard to get her to talk to us. Everything changed when we learned that she likes to watch professional wrestling. Kevin loves the WWE. That was our in. From there, we moved on to playing what can only be described as the most epic and memorable game of Uno ever played. It took 90 minutes, and we laughed the entire time. Haylee began opening up and started making jokes. In the end, she won the game, but we had broken the ice. Leaving that day, we knew we had met our daughter, and Haylee says she knew she had met her parents. “I thought they were so weird, but deep down, I knew they were my family.”

When Haylee came to live with us, it was easy to see she was broken, lacked confidence and couldn’t see all the beautiful things about her. It’s hard to blame her, she had been through a lot. As she once said, “no one wanted a child like her.”

We try to instill in Haylee how much opportunity she has ahead of her. She takes joy in now being a big sister, oldest child, oldest grandchild, friend, cousin and daughter. Not everything has been smooth, but we work through the obstacles together. Every moment of resistance and frustration has been worth it.

Haylee didn’t smile in photos before. Now, she loves to smile and loves life, herself and her family. Today, when she is asked about being adopted, Haylee says, “It just feels great to be wanted and to be home.” We have a hard time remembering life without her. It’s like she’s always been here.

Considering adoption? Please check out this guide

Also, please prayerfully consider your financial support of this great organization.

June 3, 2018/0 Comments/by James

Jefferson Series Presents Elizabeth Vargas

Events, Images, People

The New Albany Community Foundation presents the Jefferson Series with Elizabeth Vargas Wednesday, May 9, 2018 at the McCoy Center in New Albany, Ohio. During the 90 minute program Vargas talked at length about her struggles with anxiety and alcoholism and talked about her book Between Breaths: A Memoir of Panic and Addiction, which discusses those struggles.

Elizabeth Vargas is an American television journalist who is the lead investigative reporter/documentary anchor for A&E Networks. She began her new position on May 28, 2018, after being an anchor of ABC‘s television newsmagazine 20/20 and ABC News specials for the past 14 years. She was previously an anchor of World News Tonight.

May 9, 2018/0 Comments/by James

DTFA – The Broom Family

Features, Images, News, People

This is the eleventh of an ongoing series of assignments that I had for the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. This was a very meaningful project for me, as I too was adopted, but I had found a forever family when I was only months old. Many of the children I have documented in this series have not been so fortunate, spending years in a system that passed them from one home to another until DTFA stepped in and helped them find a stable home life and loving forever family.

TEAMWORK MAKES THE DREAM WORK

By Kameca Broom

Kameca and her husband, Jamar, adopted Elias and Niyah through the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption’s Wendy’s Wonderful Kids program. The Brooms, who live in Mississippi, hope that anyone considering foster care adoption sees it as a higher calling.

Adoption is choosing to love someone who you will teach how to love others unconditionally. My children are not biologically mine, but my heart doesn’t know the difference. I’ve always wanted to fill my home with children, and while we didn’t take the path that I originally thought, it’s taken us to an amazing place.

My husband, Jamar, and I first learned about foster care adoption from a high school friend who was working for the Mississippi State Department of Health. She opened my eyes to the great need for foster-to-adopt families. There was so much to learn and do to prepare our hearts and minds for bringing children into our home.

During our journey, we decided that we would be open to adopting more than one child. That’s when Elias and Niyah came into our lives. Just three and four years old at the time, they had spent three years of their young lives in foster care. We also met a woman who would change our adoption path for the better. Kenyata Wells, our Wendy’s Wonderful Kids recruiter, has helped us beyond what words could ever repay, from supporting us through each transition to being present at our adoption finalization.

Elias and Niyah lived with us for a little more than a year before the adoption was final. During that time, we grew together and learned from each other. So many challenges presented themselves as we started to become a family. We had to work hard to heal the behaviors that are expressed when a child has experienced significant trauma and inconsistency. We started a behavior chart and taught them self-control. They have both grown socially, mentally and physically.

If you are considering foster care adoption, follow your heart. I believe our adoption was heaven-sent and the most precious gift I’ve been given. Jamar and I always wanted to be parents, and we are so blessed that God found a way to help us find the children we were always meant to have.

It wasn’t all easy. In fact, most of it was hard. But it’s all been worth it to hear our little boy and girl say, “Mommy and Daddy, we want to stay with y’all forever, because we love y’all.”

At the end of the day, we all want what is best for each other. And as we say almost every day, “Teamwork makes the dream work! Team Broom!”

Considering adoption? Please check out this guide

Also, please prayerfully consider your financial support of this great organization.

May 5, 2018/0 Comments/by James

Cap-City Half Marathon

Events, Images, Sports

The 15th running of the Ohio Health Capital City Half Marathon photographed Saturday, April 28, 2018 on the streets of Columbus and the Columbus Commons. It was a beautiful crisp morning for the race – a wonderful contrast on the previous years race which was called just after the first runners came in because of drenching and dangerous thunderstorm that moved thru the area. Once again I was in the Cap City Half Pace Truck with WBNS-TV‘s Dave Holmes doing live updates thru-out the race. I joke with people, that every year I finish first in the race because of this, without even breaking a sweat – LOL.

Hometown favorites Evan Schwartz and Molly Bookmyer captured overall titles at the 15th Anniversary Edition of the OhioHealth Capital City Half Marathon.

Evan Schwartz, overall winner of 2018 OhioHealth Capital City Half Marathon
Schwartz and Joshua Park, an Amherst, Ohio native who runs cross country at Ohio U., were a pack of two for the entire 13.1 miles, with Park leading nearly the entire way before Schwartz made a last-second move as he approached the finish line to win in 1:07:55. Park, 20, in his first half marathon, finished in 1:08:01.

“Breaking the tape felt good,” Schwartz told The Columbus Dispatch after the race. “It felt really, really good.”

Schwartz, 24, who represents the Columbus Running Club, was the pre-race favorite after finishing 18th in the 2017 USATF Half Marathon Championships held in conjunction with Cap City.

Bookmyer, a member of Fleet Feet Sports Columbus, was never challenged in winning the women’s half-marathon in 1:19:05. Minori Minagawa, of Dublin, Ohio and a CRC Elite member, was second in 1:21:15. Minagawa was making her half marathon debut after winning the OhioHealth Quarter Marathon in 2017.

Nathan Seamans, 26, of Monroe, Ohio won the OhioHealth Quarter Marathon in 41:46, while Michelle Clark, 26, of Amherst, Ohio was the women’s winner in 42:18. CRC’s Dustin Hall of Columbus won the Commit To Be Fit 5K in 15:29, while Holly Archer of Columbus was the top female in 20:21.

More than 14,000 runners and walkers took part in the OhioHealth Capital City Half Marathon, OhioHealth Quarter Marathon and Commit To Be Fit 5K. The event featured a new combined Start / Finish Line at S. High and W. Town Streets and was followed by the Byers Xtra Mile Finish Line Party in the John F. Wolfe Columbus Commons.

WBNS 10TV televised the event LIVE for the third straight year.

Evan Schwartz and Joshua Park lead the 2018 OhioHealth Capital City Half Marathon
The 2018 OhioHealth Capital City Half Marathon again featured “best tour of Columbus on two feet” with a focus on the city’s best neighborhoods and entertainment districts with brank-new courses that took runners and walkers through and highlighted Downtown, German Village, The Ohio State University campus, the Arena District and Italian Village.

This year, in honor of the event’s 15th anniversary, the celebrate all that makes our city special and unique with new partnerships with two local companies that were “Made In CBUS.”

Every participant received a HOMAGE Official Event Shirt and a limited 13.1 Wheat Beer from Land-Grant Brewing Company that was specially made to celebrate Cap City and its 15th anniversary.

After the race, every participant received a Land-Grant Beer, Papa John’s Pizza, Patrón Chile Verde Margarita, Chandon Sparking, White Claw Hard Seltzer and Hartzler Dairy Chocolate Milk. The Land-Grant Post-Race Concert featured SWAGG and FBA.

April 28, 2018/0 Comments/by James

Ohio History Day

Events, Images, People

Ohio History Day competition photographed Saturday, April 21, 2018 at Ohio Wesleyan University. Ohio History Day is an affiliate of National History Day (NHD), an exciting program that makes history come alive for students. Students learn history by doing history. Students conduct historical research that leads to imaginative exhibits, documentaries, original performances, websites and scholarly papers. NHD reinforces classroom teaching by rewarding students of all abilities for their scholarship, individual initiative and cooperative learning.

April 21, 2018/0 Comments/by James

Ares Gear LE Duty Belts

Images, Products, Things

Product images for Ares Gear LE Tactical Duty belts photographed Thursday, April 12, 2018 in the Dƒw Studios.

April 12, 2018/0 Comments/by James

OSU Center for Aviation Studies Annual Awards

Events, Images, People

The Ohio State University College of Engineering Center for Aviation Studies Annual Awards Ceremony photographed Thursday, April 12, 2018 at COSI.

April 12, 2018/0 Comments/by James

DTFA – The Kean Family

Images, People, Personal

This is the tenth of an ongoing series of assignments that I had for the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. This was a very meaningful project for me, as I too was adopted, but I had found a forever family when I was only months old. Many of the children I documented in this series were not so fortunate, spending years in a system that passed them from one home to another until DTFA stepped in and helped them find a stable home life and loving forever family.

Maci Kean came through the The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, and with over 100,000 children in the U.S. foster care system, organizations like the Foundation can play a crucial role in placing kids, especially considering 20,000 children in foster care will never be adopted. Older children and those with special needs often face difficulty finding adoptive homes. A recent survey taken by The Foundation revealed that 80 percent of Americans considering adoption would look at kids foster care.

Maci lost her father when she was two, and her mother at 11, both to addiction. Growing up, her life was anything but stable. Continuous drug use and domestic violence marred her life for years. A high fever took her hearing as a toddler, leaving her deaf. School was an additional source of stress for Maci, where she was constantly bullied. She missed days of school at a time, as her mother was rarely awake to put her on the bus—much less feed her breakfast or get her dressed. Placed in the temporary custody of her aunt while her mother served a jail sentence for drug-related charges, Maci’s life began to unravel. Life with her aunt lacked the love she had known from her mother, and she quickly began acting out as a result. After Maci’s mother completed her sentence, she went into a half-way home where she died of a drug overdose. Suddenly, Maci’s temporary placement with her aunt became long term, and the grief over the loss of her mother created a downward spiral—and compensating negative behaviors—that her aunt was not willing to work through.

When Maci was 15, her aunt released her into the foster system, a move that only increased her feelings of isolation. She was placed in a strict group home that provided the basics for life: food, shelter, and medical care. According to her adoptive mother Gigi, what it didn’t have was more important. “Even though she had safety and medical care, she didn’t have love. If these children don’t learn to function in a family with love, they will be forever impacted,” she told Reader’s Digest. Maci’s adoptive father, Chris, adds, “It was a top-notch group home, but group homes are made to address the needs of all the children—not as individuals. At an emotional level, they cannot meet the bonding needs of each child.” There are many things adoptive parents wish others knew, because the process of adoption is so complex.

A junior in high school, Maci was quickly nearing what is called “aging out” of the system; when children turn 18, they are no longer considered to be adoptable by the state. Maci had already given up hope of being adopted, and redid her paperwork to reflect her dashed hope: Maci changed her permanency plan to include only foster care, not adoption.

Maci didn’t know it at the time, but her future mother was already in her life on a daily basis. Gigi Kean worked at Maci’s high school office. “We all knew her story,” she says. “I never saw her as a pity case—I always saw her as this fiery, bright, and intelligent girl. I was ignorant about foster children, I never even considered that she might want parents, or to be adopted. I admired her strength, and talked to her whenever I could.”

It was only when Maci showed Gigi her Forever Family video—she made the video with the help of the Dave Thomas Foundation to assist her in being placed—that Gigi understood the depth of Maci’s yearning for a real family. “She told me, “I just need to be realistic, no one wants to adopt me. Who would want me?,” Gigi recalls. It was then that the wheels in Gigi’s mind began to turn, and adopting Maci was all she could think about. After speaking to her husband Chris, the plan to adopt Maci was officially set in motion, and it was only a matter of time before they became a family of five. The Keans’ two biological children, Carolyn and Christopher, were completely on board with gaining a new sister.

Initially, Maci was hesitant to trust that her dream of having a family would come true, but on June 8th, only six weeks before turning 18, she officially took the last name Kean, and was adopted. Maci’s new mother is quick to point out that adopting a child at any age is important. ” A child’s need for love, acceptance, and the knowledge they will never be given up is the same at 7 or 17,” she explains. “Age or special needs should never be a deterrent, people just need to understand that these children come with trauma, and love is the most healing thing you can offer,” she says.

A video of her life’s story can be found on YouTube here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6mU9hQbC1E

Considering adoption? Please check out this guide

Also, please prayerfully consider your financial support of this great organization.

March 25, 2018/0 Comments/by James

Ohio Statehood Awards Luncheon

Events, Images, People

the Ohio Statehood Day Awards Luncheon photographed Wednesday, February 28, 2018 at the Ohio Statehouse Atrium sponsored by the Ohio Museums Association.

The Ohio Museums Association was proud to be a partner for Statehood Day 2018.

Fellow history advocates gathered at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus for the annual Statehood Day advocacy event on Wednesday, February 28, 2018.

They met with state legislators, networked with fellow history professionals and found out which local history organizations were awarded Ohio History Fund grants to support their local, regional and statewide projects, programs and events related to the state’s history.

This year’s event featured Christopher W. Wilson, Director, Experience and Program Design and Director, Program in African-American History and Culture at the National Museum of American History, as the keynote speaker at lunchtime. Attendees were encouraged to schedule a meeting that morning with their state representative and/or state senator to discuss public policy issues relating to history and historic preservation.

The Ohio History Connection also announced its 2018 History Fund grant awards, funded through income tax donations from Ohioans. Licking County elected leaders were recognized with the Ohio History Leadership Award, presented annually to elected officials who have “gone above and beyond” in promoting Ohio history.

Statehood Day was sponsored by Ohio History Connection, Heritage Ohio, the Ohio Archaeological Council, the Ohio Local History Alliance, Ohio Humanities, the Ohio Historical Records Advisory Board, Preservation Ohio, the Ohio Travel Association, the Ohio Museums Association, the Ohio Academy of History, the Ohio Council for Social Studies and the Society of Ohio Archivists.