Lake Forest photographer donates over $30K to Meals on Wheels
Lake Forest resident and photographer Heidi Clifton has been busy putting each camera click to good use.
By donating a portion of her small business profits to charity, she has raised more than $30,000 to-date to help seniors through Meals on Wheels Chicago. Giving a portion of her profits to charity is something she's been doing since founding her photography business, Cecily George Photography (named after her stepdaughter and son) in 2017, but the effort recently got a boost during COVID-19.
When the pandemic prompted statewide shelter-in-place orders, she knew seniors would need help with their meals more than ever. She began conducting 19-minute, socially-distanced photography sessions outside people's homes. During what she called the "19-Minute Campaign," she discounted her fee to $100 and donated 100 percent of it to help local seniors through MOWC.
Clients from Kenilworth to Lake Bluff requested their "porch-traits" be taken. Within two months, she completed over 60 sessions and raised over $7,000 from photography fees and additional donations, far exceeding her expectations.
"I think it's important to raise money and awareness for Meals on Wheels Chicago and what they do," Clifton said. "The donations go to work tomorrow. This isn't a cause where we wait for research or medical advances, you can feed a senior the next day. We easily forget that cooking a nutritious meal is not as easy for our homebound seniors and those with disabilities. We all need to eat, and the chances of us or our families needing a service like Meals on Wheels in our lives makes this such a worthy cause."
Clifton has always been passionate about helping seniors. Her more than 85 regular clients and others have started to connect with her enthusiasm while learning more about MOWC. One client even applied to be a MOWC driver after she took their photo.
MOWC serves 10,000 clients each week and makes 3.2 million home deliveries annually. Clifton's own grandfather benefitted from Meals on Wheels for years. "Grandpa Charlie" lived in Rockford and had meals delivered every week after losing his wife in 1993. He developed cancer due to smoking and doctors removed his voice box as a result. He lived without the ability to speak for almost a decade. He passed away in 2004.
"We are still so grateful for Meals on Wheels because we weren't close by to help him regularly," said Clifton, who was raised in Crystal Lake.
MOWC's motto is "Keeping independence on the table."
"Seniors want to be home," she said. "They don't always want to be in an assisted living facility or nursing home if they can avoid it. So we should support and help them if we can, and having meals delivered to their home is important."
Of the $30,000 Clifton has raised for Meals on Wheels, she has directed the majority to help local seniors. Additionally, she had donated in-kind photography sessions valued at $10,000 to MOWC, as well as various galas, auctions, and fundraisers.
She credits her husband, Jim for his support as she supports a cause she is incredibly passionate about.
"None of this is possible without the amazing support of my husband," Clifton said. " He is truly my biggest supporter and knows how important it is to give back."
Clifton co-chaired MOWC's biggest fundraiser of the year, the Celebrity Chef Ball, which took place Oct. 14 at The Geraghty. Also serving as their chef liaison, she recruited more than 50 chefs, several of them Michelin Star awardees, to prepare a six-course meal for guests at the event. The event was the most successful in MOWC's history and raised enough money to provide over 135,000 meals this holiday season.
"I would love to encourage more people to donate a small percentage to a charity they are passionate about," Clifton said.
For more information about Cecily George Photography, visit CecilyGeorge.com or find her on Instagram @CecilyGeorgePhotography.
For information about Meals on Wheels Chicago, visit MealsonWheelsChicago.org.
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