www.youtube.com/watch  www.hopeinbloom.org 

Being a petite 4’9” girl did not stop me from having a very large vision about two years ago when I saw an article about Hope in Bloom in the local paper. After making a formal proposal to my principal, I recruited a teacher/advisor and friends to form Sharon High School Photography Club. The club has grown from 2 to 33 student photographers who take photographs and make them into greeting cards. All proceeds go to Hope in Bloom. Hope in Bloom is a non-profit organization that plants gardens free of charge at the homes men and women undergoing breast cancer treatment. “What if I told you hope can bloom for someone with breast cancer and all it takes is some plants, shovels, and mulch” said the founder of Hope In Bloom, Roberta Hershon. These words are what inspired me. The clubs goal is to raise enough money to plant a garden each year. These healing gardens, as the club likes to call them, can cost between $500 and $3000 each. “These gardens provide breast cancer patients with a beautiful haven to experience the calming effects of nature, which studies show increases Serotonin, boosts energy levels and wards off depression. In turn these healing benefits elevate morale allowing recipients to be more receptive to medical intervention. Hope in Bloom gardens are places where those struggling with the emotional aspects and often harsh realities of breast cancer can find comfort,” says Hope In Bloom founder Roberta. Erica and the club find there are many problems that people encounter when trying to reach their goals in community service projects. However, with every bump in the road, we are able to move forward, and try to look at the brighter side of what’s to come. What makes our service project different from other projects is not so much about what we do, but the passion we as students put behind it. To date we have raised over $3000 dollars. We have made over 150 new card designs each year. We have reached out to the various media outlets to promote our story as well as line up weekends to sell our cards at local coffee shops, stores, and fairs. They can also be purchased at www.hopeinbloom.org. We have also brought in outside professional photographers to speak to us about how we can improve our photographs. Presently we are trying to put together an auction of professional women photographers work in order to raise more awareness and money for our cause. The motto of the photography club is to help breast cancer patients one garden at a time. This spring Sharon High School Photography Club will be digging in and taking out their gardening gloves when they plant their first complete garden. The importance of this club isn’t about making money; it’s about showing people that they can help any organization by doing something small. Helping others less fortunate has always been a part of my life. It isn’t about how much money we make, or how many gardens we plant, it is about how big of an impact we can make in someone’s life by doing something so very simple. If only everyone could help out one person each day, the world would be a better place.