Kevin Wong Photography

Just a quick update about the support received the past couple of days for Billy’s Birthday Mission. He is just $520 and 28 people away from reaching his goal of $15,000 and 100 people participating. There is no way to express how amazing this has been for all of us. Thank you, thank you all for being such wonderful people!

I also wanted to thank everyone who has taken up my offer for 2 hour photography sessions, a wedding package and also to my couples who have been asking their friends and family members for donations. You’ve helped me beat my personal goal of $2,000 and I know that there is going to be more coming in before January 31st. Your contributions are deeply appreciated and I am so happy to be able to help you with photography.

Everything that we’ve done together in the past 14 days truly has made a difference. Not only are we helping Doctors Without Borders provide aid to survivors, but we are also creating awareness about issues greater than what we typically hear about day to day. Just telling others what we’re doing and letting them know anyone can help deserves a special thank you too. We hope this spirit will continue on.

I’ll leave you for now with one last message from Billy:

Do you have $18.57 to spare? If 28 people donate $18.57 my birthday mission will have reached my goals of 100 donors and $15,000! I’m sure you or someone you know wants to do some good and make a difference. Please help! 3 days left and we will have achieved two HUGE milestones. http://billysbirthday.tumblr.com

If you’re on Facebook, you can follow my updates here too!

I’m writing this on a Sunday evening after being dominated in Settlers of Catan, over and over again. For those unfamiliar, it’s a new board game my friends and I have been obsessing over recently. While my spirits are down from 4 consecutive loses, I remembered that something amazing happened this past weekend: We nailed the $10,000 goal.

In seven days, Billy beat his original goal 10x greater than he originally planned. It is an incredible milestone that many of us are proud to have witnessed. There is still time and a new goal has been established. Instead of just focusing on donations, the focus now includes having more people like you to participate. By January 31st, we want to see 100 donors be a part of Billy’s Birthday Mission.

Every little bit counts and we still need your help. Help us reach out and find 100 donors. Help us reach out and earn $15,000 towards Haiti earthquake relief. I believe we can do this together. We can do this today. Let us know.

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Another news update: I’m also happy to report that I am close to reaching my own personal goal of $2,000 by offering a couple wedding photography packages and five 2-hour sessions for donations of $1,000+ and $100+ respectively. With one wedding secured, and five sessions scheduled, I am currently at $1,800. Your generosity is inspiring and a blessing for those who have lost everything in Haiti. Please continue to share this story and let others know that they can also make a difference. A difference could mean making a donation, or simply creating awareness.

I still have one more free wedding photography package available to give away to a new engaged couple for 2010. Please contact me for more details if you’re interested or if you think I would be a good fit for someone you know who is getting married. I’d be more than happy to share my time to learn how we can help Haiti through photography. Let’s talk! =)

Unfortunately no further photo sessions can be scheduled at this time. However, if you are in need of photos taken, I encourage you to check out Style-ish photographers, Tiffany and Jared, who are also offering similar ways to help Haiti for their time and talents. Check out Style-ish Photography.

Finally, if you’re on Facebook, Twitter or you have an account with a website that includes a profile photo, use the photo above to share our story. It’s one of the easiest ways you make a difference. Thank you.

Kevin Wong

I just wanted to give an update on the progress so far with fundraising. Within 24 hours, I received interest from friends and friends of friends who wanted to take me up on the photography deal (of the century!). I have a wonderful couple, Jennifer Kim and Byung Kim who agreed to donate $1,000 for the wedding photography package. Thank you guys so much for the donation. It has made a huge impact on our effort and we’re feeling even better about hitting the $10,000 goal.

One more free wedding photography package

If you’re a couple who was considering my $1,000 offer, you’re in luck! I’m going to extend the offer to one more couple. If you are planning your wedding for 2010 and still in need of a photographer, donate at least $1,000 to Doctors Without Borders and I will shoot your wedding for FREE!* The package includes:

• Pre-wedding consultation
• My time for as long as you need me as well as a second photographer
• Online gallery for proofs, sharing and prints
• Artistic treatment (skin and color enhancements, B&W, etc)
• Engagement session (up to 2 hours)
• Travel anywhere
• *There will be some costs for expenses like album, prints, DVD of negatives and potential travel

Existing clients

For my existing clients, any donations that you make, or your wedding party makes by January 31st, I will lower your price dollar for dollar up to $1,000. Woohoo!

2 hour photography sessions still available

I still have 3 more spots open on the 2 hour photo session offer. I’m no longer limiting that to just the end of April, but through the end of 2010. So if you’re in need of summer portraits or you want me to photograph your puppy, let me know!

Everything counts, even $1

Finally, smaller donations are also welcome! Everyone that donates, even if it’s just $1 will get something. If you like any of my images, you can have them as wallpapers, or get enlargements at wholesale rate.

Thank you from our hearts

Special thank you to all those who have supported the cause and donated your hard earned money / time. We’re making a difference together and it’s inspiring to see the cooperation between different groups of people to help provide for survivors of the Haitian earthquake. Billy continues to work hard towards reaching the $10,000 goal and is deeply touched by all those who are willing to contribute even by spreading the word. So thank you again for even reading this. =)

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Help spread the word!

If you blog, or you’re on Twitter, Facebook or any other social network, you can use this copy and paste friendly text to help us out:

My friend, Kevin, is doing a fundraiser for Haitian earthquake relief by offering his photography. Donate and he will help you with family portraits, weddings and more. He is helping his friend Billy reach his goal of $10,000. Learn more at Billy’s website: http://billysbirthday.tumblr.com or learn more about Kevin at http://kvwphoto.com/tag/haiti

My friend, Billy, is doing a fundraiser for Haitian earthquake relief by offering his free time. Donate and he will do something of equal value for you. He is close to reaching his goal of $10,000, please help him out. Learn more at his website: http://billysbirthday.tumblr.com

I just wanted to quickly share the news that a group of photographers, including Lane Harthwell, have designed and published a fundraising magazine titled Haiti: One Respe. It’s an amazing project that was a result of cross collaboration with different groups and a desire to help. Magcloud has agreed to pay for the printing and distribution allowing for all funds to go directly towards the Red Cross International Response Fund.

The magazine costs $12 and are available for shipping now.

Link

Photographs by: Chet Gordon, Kari Hartmann, Mary Ellen Mark, Peter Pereira, Lindsay Stark

Let’s make a difference together. A difference bigger than either of us could have done individually. In hopes of providing additional, immediate support for Haiti Relief, I will be trading my time in order help my friend Billy to reach his goal of $5,000 $10,000 towards Doctors Without Borders. If you were looking forward to helping Haiti and were also in need of photographic services, this is your opportunity to do both!

Every little bit helps, so here’s the deal:

Help me reach my goal of $2,000 by January 31st!

I will photograph your wedding for FREE!
Yes! My time is free! If you’re the first person or couple to donate at least $1,000 towards Haiti Relief by January 31st, you can choose my Standard Package* ($2,400 value) for your upcoming wedding! Or if you’re the wedding party, you can pool money together and gift the package for the lovely couple too. More details:

• The wedding date must be in 2010
• The wedding date doesn’t conflict with a previous booking
• The couple receives the Standard package*
• I’m open for travel
• *Promotion does not include expenses such as any rentals, travel, hotel or prints and printing credit.

I will photograph whatever you want for FREE!
If you’re one of the first 5 people to donate at least $100 towards Haiti Relief, you can have me do any kind of photography you want for up to 2 hours. Valentine’s day is coming up for some couples portrait action, or if you want your engagement photos taken, just let me know and we can plan to make it happen. The ideas are endless! A couple restrictions:

• Location is within the Greater Seattle area
• Can be done before April 2010
• Within reason (which we can discuss)

What do you need to do?
Send me an email with a receipt of your donation to any organization that supports the Haiti Relief fund by email. I trust you that the receipts are for real. It’s as simple as that! Please also share this news with friends and family members. Even if you’re donating $1, please let me know! Email me your receipt and I will send  you something pretty just as a thank you for supporting.

But what if you don’t want photos taken?
If photography isn’t your thing, check out Billy Shih’s birthday mission campaign. He’s willing to do ANYTHING within reason to reach his goal of $5,000 by the end of the month. He’a already reached well over $2,000 with a couple weeks in January to spare! Examples include video work, consulting on online marketing or training you to be the ultimate Settler’s of Catan player.

Thanks everyone! I’ll keep you posted on any progress and hope to hear from you soon! If you have other ideas or want to help out in other ways, let me know!