The weekend of May 16th and May 17th I had an open 22 shoot. Not a lot of people showed up, but the ones who did could not have been more amazing! I'm so grateful to them for taking the time out of their day to stop by. 3 AWESOME USO Volunteers (one who just moved on to the Red Cross), My Amazing Hair and Makeup Goddess and her 3 Beautiful Daughters, and the her fun Aunt! We had a great time, all showing our 22's for the Veterans.

Thank you Ladies (and Young Ladies!)!

Getting by with the support of some of my Best and Dearest Friends. If I didn't have them, or my amazing Husband and Children, I don't know how many times I would have quit! 

Not to mention, the wonderful, and brave woman who started it all. I love her so much, and would walk through hell to help her heal. (There is SO much more to her amazing photoshoot.....so stay tuned for those images)

My AWESOME Big Brother has been amazing at reaching out to people to show their support! One of those Amazing People, is Tim Kennedy (and his newborn son!). MMA Fighter, and SF Army Ranger Veteran. 

22. A number the majority of the military community knows well, but a number that many still don't know. What is the significance of this simple number? It's the number of Veterans that commit suicide...per day. True, this number isn't an "exact" statistic. Statistics rarely are exact. But, to us (the military community), it's a sad fact. 
About 2 or 3 months ago my Sister, Hollis (whom you'll hear me talk about regularly), sent me an image of herself with the number 22 written on her hands. Next, my very good friend, and Big Brother, sent me his picture. The following day, I took one. From there, it took off. The poignancy of the "22" was not lost on my Brothers and Sisters in Arms, or their loved ones. I was getting images left and right....from friends, and from strangers. It exploded. I was floored. Caught somewhere between, "WOW" and "What do I do now".  

After much discussion (and some scrambling!), the 22 Portrait Project started. We wanted to show our support for those who are silently struggling. To let them know that they are SO much more than a statistic. And that reaching out for help is NOT a sign of weakness. That we're here to help them fight....and we're here to listen. 

This project has only grown from here! There are so many more things that we would like to see come from this. And there are so many more things that ARE coming from this. To those who have offered words of support, sent me their 22's, and have offered up their time to me in order to take their picture....I am so extremely thankful. Thank you for showing those who struggle that they are NOT alone in this fight.