'My Dream is to End World Hunger'

Through photography children share their innermost feelings. The opportunity to reveal their dreams in photographs shows each child how much their dreams MATTER! Their hopes and dreams captured in quiet moments tell a story that few adults can imagine. "When you show children that you care about what they dream for in life, perhaps a child who never felt he or she had self worth, now will."  -Linda Solomon

When Emily, then 7 years old,  she was presented the opportunity to express her dreams via a photograph. Her dream was the very grown-up goal to end world hunger.

Emily was one of 19 homeless children in Albuquerque who were afforded this opportunity back in 2012. Darrionte, then 8 years old, is featured in an article published in The Albuquerque Journal on Sept. 6, 2012.

With the support of local car dealership Galles Chevrolet, t\he pictures were made into a set of greeting cards, which the Barrett Foundation  sold in 2012. Even though the cards were created three years ago, they still touch our hearts and are still very relevant today.

A national project
Project director, renown photographer Linda Salomon, has brought  Pictures of Hope to children living in shelters in Tucson, El Paso, Philadelphia, New York City, Flint, Michigan, Tulsa, Raleigh, Fayetteville, Charlotte, Kansas City, St. Louis, Washington, D.C., Minneapolis and Albuquerque.

Here's how it works. Solomon presents a photo tutorial to the children at each shelter. At the conclusion of the tutorial, the children are surprised with digital cameras donated by Walgreens and given their first photo assignment as young photojournalists. Each child has a Picture of Hope card showcasing one of their photographs. All the children in each city celebrate with their mentors at the "Meet The Young Artist" receptions when the Pictures of Hope cards are launched. It's a special day no one will ever forget.

On her website, the photographer explains her motivation. "The numbers of homeless children in the US are the highest in our history, 2.5 million. One out of thirty children are homeless," said Ms. Solomon. "The mission of Pictures of Hope is to change lives, one life at a time. We show each child there is hope and they are not forgotten. Pictures of Hope touches the soul of each child we meet."