Posted on by Krista Guenin

Indianapolis Screening of UNTOUCHABLE: Children of God

Untouchable: Children of God, a documentary film about the trafficking of young girls from Nepal into the brothels of India

 

I am excited to announce that we will be screening our documentary film UNTOUCHABLE: Children of God in Indianapolis on Thursday, July 16th!  I was the still photographer on the film produced by Code Red Films, and I am from Indianapolis – so it’s doubly exciting for me to have my family and so many old friends able to view our work.  If you’re in the Indianapolis area, please come check out our film – and invite a few friends along, share this link and help us spread the word!

Indianapolis screening of UNTOUCHABLE: Children of God
Thursday, July 16, 2015
7:30pm – 9:00pm
AMC Castleton Square 14
Following the film, there will be a live Q&A with Krista Guenin, still photographer for the project
Buy your tickets HERE!

Posted on by Krista Guenin · 1 Comment

GIVE: Nepal Earthquake

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I slept in on Saturday after shooting a wedding with CoCo the night before.  I had a leisurely morning and then hopped on facebook, like I do pretty much every morning.  And then I was shocked to see the news of a 7.8 magnitude earthquake outside Kathmandu pop up in my newsfeed.  It was like Haiti all over again…

My first reaction was panic –
are my friends OK?!  Are the girls OK?!

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The faces of people I’ve grown to love began flashing through my mind, and all I could do was pray for them.

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Oh God, please let them be OK, please let them be ALIVE!

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Lord, please be their strength, protect them from fear, from the horror of all that’s happening around them.

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Please help them to reach out and let us know what’s happening!

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And then the updates started rolling in…

“Strong earthquake here in Kathmandu we are fine outside the building but it’s still shaking. The strongest I’ve ever faced!”

“About to die due to earthquake”

“experience a big earthquake in life thanks God keeping us safe and praying for all”

“[Pastor] and family are safe and hostels in KTM are safe. Children are well and safe. However some of the families and villages of the children may have been lost. Please keep up the prayers!”

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OH, the RELIEF!!  To know so many of my friends are safe and have survived!  There are many people I’ve met along the way who I may never hear word about until I return to Nepal one day.  I will keep praying for them all.  But for now, I will REJOICE that my friends are safe and able to help others in need!

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Even as I rejoiced, more updates kept coming and the situation became a lot more real to me…

1,000 dead.

“Thank you for all your prayers words and love. It’s 2:25am now and the ground still shakes from time to time. Please pray for those that lost their loved ones and homes as its cold outside and many don’t have much.”

“It’s been continuing from yesterday and it give another shake in 5:03 am… Can’t sleep whole night…”

2,000 dead.

“Cracked in our Asha Nepal and walls collapsed…!! No drinking water,no electricity, no sufficient food. Very depressing…”

“Drinking water tent and some food supply are the biggest problem now”

3,000 dead.

“We can’t get anything to eat from stores today and just now our friends who is policeman they brought us some food and tent…”

“Now our country is facing another problem.. It was really not enough with the earthquake but the heavy rain fall give us big problems… Can’t sleep even we’ve got tent now… And our tents have filled with water too…”

5,000 dead, and it could rise to as many as 10,000 as more bodies are found, and as hunger, thirst, and disease continue to spread.  And the trafficking of vulnerable children increases drastically during natural disasters because so many more people become displaced.

My heart weeps for Nepal.

It’s too much, too terrible.  And I feel so helpless.

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 There is no denying that Nepal needs the help of any and everyone willing to give it – and there ARE ways we can help!

Please PRAY for the people of Nepal as they struggle for the most basic needs, deal with staggering losses, and begin the long journey of rebuilding their lives.

Please consider GIVING to organizations that are working on the ground to help, especially those that employ locals!

To give directly to my friends who participated in our documentary film:

Asha Nepal via Shared Hope International
Lighthouse Nepal via Out of Ashes

These organizations are also doing great work on the ground in Nepal:
MountainChild.org
CARE
World Vision (or text NEPAL to 44888‪)

Thank you for caring about this beautiful country, and these people who I love!

Posted on by Krista Guenin

How can YOU help fight Human Trafficking?

Wow!  It’s been a busy couple of weeks since we screened our documentary film, Untouchable: Children of God here in Boston.  The screening was AWESOME – 114 people attended in spite of the freezing cold weather and crazy traffic!  There were tons of great questions after the film, and I wanted to respond to one here publicly.  The big question of the night was – How can we help?!  That really is the whole point of the film – not only to raise general awareness, but to stir people to action!  So, this is the best question ever!!!  I’ve got a bunch of thoughts on how to answer it, and this is my by-no-means-exhaustive list of responses:

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Spread the word about Untouchable!   We need your help to get our film out into your communities!  We’ve got screenings planned all over the country, with more being organized every day.  You can be a HUGE help simply by spreading the word in a few really easy ways.

  • Share your thoughts & passion about the film, with a link to our Website &/or our Screenings Page on Facebook/Twitter/Google+ and every social media site you can imagine!
  • Invite your friends to screenings in their area!  View a complete list of screenings here, and you can see some of the FB events listed here.  Invite your friends through Facebook, email them the links and encourage them to attend, share the screenings in your area on your wall and ask you friends to join you.
  • Reach Out to local community groups and non-profits and encourage them to support, attend, and share about the film.  Groups that might be great to reach out t0 – local Nepali & Indian ex-pat communities and meetups, anti-trafficking organizations, human rights organizations, local churches and religious groups, etc.

Got any more ideas?  Leave a comment below!  Get creative!

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Plan a Screening of the film!   There are some really easy ways for you to plan and host a screening of the film in your own neighborhood.

  • At Home Screening  –  Buy a copy of the DVD at one of our screenings (online options coming soon), or rent the film on Vimeo (available May 1, 2015) – then invite a couple of friends or your small group over to watch the film and talk about it!
  • Community Venue Screening  –  Partner with a local church, non-profit or community organization that has a space & screen large enough to view the film.  Screenings can be set up through Tugg.   The venue/organizer needs to pay in advance for the rights to show it to a group (cost varies by size of the space) – but then they can charge a ticket price if they need to recoup the cost.  Organizers can connect with local anti-trafficking non-profits and even use it as a fundraiser.  There is no threshold for this type of screening – so the screening can proceed no matter how many people attend.
  • Theater Screening  –  Anyone can host a screening in a local theater almost anywhere in the US through our partner,  Tugg Inc.  Any individual, community organization, church, or non-profit can use this option – and Tugg partners with theaters all over the country so it can be done in nearly any US city.  The Organizer/Promoter gets a small percentage of the profits for promoting the film – which is a bit of work.  Theater Screenings can be held on weekdays, and must meet a threshold of tickets sold within a week of the event in order for the screening to proceed.  Non-profits can also use the site to take donations when people buy their tickets, and use it as a fundraiser.  This is a great option for any anti-trafficking group that wants to host a screening to raise awareness about the subject in general, and about their organization too.

With either the Community Venue or Theater Screening options, Code Red Films and Krista Photography with help where we can to promote your screening, and can possibly provide resources like DVDs for sale, and having one of the crew attend for Q&A, depending upon location & scheduling.  With either option we recommend creating a facebook event and inviting everyone you know in the area, posting on facebook often and early, emailing people directly to invite them and encouraging others to do the same.  We’ve also created a Press Kit to help you set it up.

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GIVE   Giving of your time, talents & resources is always helpful as Code Red and all anti-trafficking efforts rely on the generosity of their supporters.  There are a few ways to get involved with the film, in Nepal & India, and even in your local area…

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As you can see, there are SO many ways to get involved and make a difference!!  Use your unique talents to make a difference, use your voice and your reach!  If we all work together to fight this great injustice, there’s no reason we can’t succeed!

Posted on by Krista Guenin · 1 Comment

UNTOUCHABLE: Children of God – Coming to a theater near you!

Untouchable: Children of God

In the brothels of India, young girls perish every day. At least 10,000 girls are trafficked from Nepal to the brothels of India each year. A mere 1% of these sex slaves ever escape or get rescued. UNTOUCHABLE: CHILDREN OF GOD, explores the stories of the people most vulnerable to human trafficking, the “Untouchables” of society, specifically the Badi people of Nepal and the Dalits of India.

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I am SO excited to announce that the documentary film I’ve been working on over the last 2 years is finally available in theaters!!!!  Code Red Films has partnered with Tugg, Inc. to allow people across America the opportunity to experience this powerful and timely documentary film.  Screenings have already been scheduled in Colorado, Texas, Oklahoma, Ohio and Boston – and more will be planned throughout the year!  Click here to find or even schedule your own screening in a theater near you!

Krista Photography will host the Boston screening on Thursday, February 5th at 7:30pm at Kendall Square Cinema in Cambridge.  The theaters require a minimum number of tickets to be sold in advance in order to proceed with the screening, so we need to sell 112 tickets by THIS SUNDAY 1/25.  Please buy your ticket NOW and join us for the Boston Premiere of the film, followed by a brief Q&A!

I will also be attending  screenings in Houston, TX on February 24th, and in Austin, TX on February 25th – so I hope some of our Texas friends can come!

 

Posted on by Krista Guenin

UNTOUCHABLE: Children of God – Documentary Film Premiere

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Those of you who have been following our blog for a while probably know that I’ve been working on a documentary film by Code Red Films called UNTOUCHABLE: Children of God.  The whole process has been incredible – intensely challenging, highly emotional, but so unbelievably wonderful.

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 I’ve met some of the strongest, bravest young women – more resilient than I could have ever imagined.  Their faith in God, and their faith in us has been humbling.  They have shared their stories with us and entrusted us to share them with the world, and that is no small thing.  I have grown to love them so very much and I WISH I could share their photos with you!  For their safety, I’ve opted to keep them offline and you’ll have to view the film to see their beautiful faces.

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When can you see the film?  Well!  I’m glad you asked!!  The US premiere is coming up in just a few days!!  UNTOUCHABLE: Children of God will premiere at the Newport Beach Film Festival on Wednesday, April 30 at 7:45pm PDT.  I’m excited to go out for the premiere and actually see the latest edit on the BIG SCREEN!  It’s going to be so cool!  Those of you who live in the area – please join us for the premiere!!!  Tickets are on sale now!

For those of you who don’t live in sunny California, don’t worry!  We are working on planning some screening opportunities in major cities across the US for later this year!  I’ll be sure to keep you posted, but you can follow the film on Facebook to get the latest updates.


This film has been such a blessing to me – I can’t wait to share it with all of you!!  See you in Newport Beach next week!!!

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Posted on by Krista Guenin

Untouchable film campaign is ending!

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After 28 1/2 days of running our campaign for the documentary film UNTOUCHABLE: Children of God, we are almost there!!  With 40 hours left to go, we have less than $3,000 to raise to meet our goal of $50,000!!!  I have been blown away by all of the support from my clients, friends, and fellow photographers!  So many people have given money, but also so many have just helped us spread the word – which is huge!  Last week, I was featured on two photography blogs about the project – LensProToGo Labs and Tiffinbox.  You can view my interview with Seshu from Tiffinbox below…

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It seems like we’re right on track to hit our goal!  But now I have a new goal…  I want us to raise enough money that we can actually take home $50,000 for the film after the credit card processing fees and Indiegogo fees!  That’s another $4,000.  So, what do you think – can we raise $7,000 in the next 40 hours?!  With YOUR help, WE CAN!  Please take a moment to visit the fundraising page, make a donation in any amount you can, and share the link with your friends letting them know that time is running out.  Together, we can accomplish so much more than we ever could on our own!  Thank you for being part of this special project!

Posted on by Krista Guenin · 2 Comments

UNTOUCHABLE: Children of God

As many of you know, I’ve been working with an organization called Code Red Films on a film called UNTOUCHABLE: Children of God, about the sexual exploitation of the lowest caste girls of Nepal and India.  In the last year, our team has travelled to Nepal and India twice to gather footage.  We have seen terrible things, and heard stories that have brought us to tears.  We have met girls and young women who have experienced more suffering than any person should ever know.  We have met those who the caste system deems “untouchable”, yet who have been touched in terrible, violent ways.  We have seen the horror that is sex slavery, and we are determined to help bring an end to it.  We have looked into the eyes of some of few who have survived and escaped, and we have seen healing, we have seen HOPE.  We long to see more girls and women set free.  We long to see fewer girls cross the border into India and disappear forever.  We long to see brothels shut down, traffickers imprisoned, and victims given the chance at a new life.  We long to see the end of sex trafficking in Nepal and India forever.  And we need your help!

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FILM PROGRESS 

  • We’ve taken hundreds of hours of interviews & footage, and I’ve shot more than 15,000 photographs over the course the two trips.
  • Code Red has launched both a new Website and a new Facebook Page where we’ll be posting helpful links, production stills, photographs, and updates on our progress.
  • Code Red Films has begun the process of becoming an official 501c3 non-profit
  • On August 12, 2012 we launched an Indiegogo fundraising campaign to raise the remaining $50,000 needed to complete post-production on the film.  We have just SEVEN DAYS left to do it!

 

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THIS IS WHERE YOU COME IN

  I am writing to ask for your support!  We cannot do this alone, and we don’t want to.  The only way these girls will be free is if an entire movement of men and women rise up from all over the world to help them!  Our part of the mission is to raise the call, and to speak the truth and let their stories be heard.  Please give our voice the wings it needs to soar by taking ACTION:

  • Visit our Website, watch the trailer, and meet our team
  • Like our Facebook Page and invite your friends to like it too
  • Donate to our fundraising campaign – any amount will help and there’s no time to lose!
  • SHARE our story and our fundraising page with your friends and family – help spread the word!

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Thank you!

If you have any questions about the project, or my work, or about sex trafficking, or anything – please let me know!  Thank you so much for your support!  I am so blessed to be able to be a part of this project – and I literally could not do it without all of you and your support!!  THANK YOU!


Posted on by Krista Guenin · 1 Comment

Going back to Nepal

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Last November, I travelled to Nepal for 2 weeks to work with Code Red Films on a documentary about the sexual exploitation of Nepali girls, particularly those of the lowest castes – the Untouchables. The irony in that was not missed. Among the Untouchable caste are the Badi people – the lowest of the low from the culture’s perspective. In the last 60 years many members of this people group have had to turn to prostitution to survive. Because of this, the word Badi has become synonymous with prostitute and even those who have not worked as prostitutes are discriminated against, face sexual harassment & exploitation, and are usually trapped in extreme poverty.

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We travelled around Kathmandu and Western Nepal, interviewing survivors and activists, visiting villages and ministries, and learning as much as we could about what is happening in Nepal.  The team also went to India in February to continue researching and documenting the sex trafficking of lower caste girls.  The situation in the brothels of Mumbai and Delhi is abhorrent – truly worse than even your nightmares.  So many girls are held captive, tortured and raped repeatedly for someone else’s satisfaction and yet another’s profit.  And there are THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS of these girls, with more being kidnapped and brought to India each day.

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What’s Next?

Next week, I am returning to Nepal, and also travelling to Delhi, to continue working on this project.  I am so looking forward to seeing the rest of the team, reconnecting with some of the girls we met last time, and meeting many new people and hearing their stories!   This will likely be our last trip before the final editing commences, as we hope to release the film this Fall.  There is so much work to be done, but God is bringing everyone together and opening doors already and I believe we’ll capture everything we need!

Untouchable Film Crew

 How can you help?

I need to raise $2000 – $5000 to continue my work on the film.  My expenses will include visas, local travel costs, hotel, meals, film & processing, equipment rental/purchase, image post-production, and loss of income.  Your financial support would be such a blessing!  Anything you can contribute will help!  Please visit my fundraising page to donate!

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You can also help by donating some things I’ll need for my trip!  I’m looking for the following to rent, borrow, or keep for this and future projects.  Let me know if you’ve got access and are willing to help!

  • Nikon D4 – Update:  Discounted rental for 3 full weeks provided by our friends at LensProToGo!!!
  • Mamiya 7ii (rental for 3 full weeks)
  • A set of about 300-500 4×6 prints (gifts for the girls we met last time – most of these kids don’t have photographs of themselves, their friends or family).  Update:  Discounted prints provided by our friends at ProDPI!
  • A large sturdy suitcase or duffle bag – good for travelling
  • An iPad for securing model releases easily & without paperwork.  Update:  iPad provided by a friend!
  • Tips & advice on how to stay cool in Delhi’s 105+ degree heat!!!

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You can also support the film by spreading the word and encouraging your friends to support my trip!  Go to my fundraising page to become a Supporter (no donation necessary) and share the link on facebook, twitter, google+, email, wherever!  Spreading the word will not only build support for my trip, for this film – but for these girls as well!  As more people become educated about this issue, the more people will get involved, and the more likely CHANGE will come!!

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More than anything, please pray for our team, the film, and especially for the women and girls who’s stories we hope to tell.  Here are some ways you can pray for us:

  • Pray for the safety of our team as we travel, especially during our time in India, and for the week I will be in Kathmandu with only one other woman from the team.
  • Pray for unity, vision, and opportunity.  Pray that God would open doors, and that we would meet many people who would be willing to share their stories with us.
  • Pray for the thousands and thousands of young Nepali girls and women who are enslaved in a life of prositution and torture.  Pray for the end of slavery in our time.
  • Pray for the young women who have been rescued out of their enslavement – for healing and restoration, and for their future as they learn to live again.

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Thank you!

If you have any questions about the project, or my work, or about sex trafficking, or anything – please let me know!  Thank you so much for your support!  I am so blessed to be able to be a part of this project – and I literally could not do it without all of you and your support!!  THANK YOU!

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If you’d like more information about the trip – visit my fundraising page or contact me directly!

If you’d like to see more of my images from our first trip to Nepal, visit our album on Facebook.  Please note that due to the subject matter of our work, I have tried my best not to include images of girls and women that I know have been exploited, unless they have given us permission. Many of the girls we met have been recused from the RISK of exploitation and those are many of the faces you see here.

Posted on by Krista Guenin · 9 Comments

The Badi Girls

When I began looking for my first job in photography over 10 years ago, I wasn’t even thinking about wedding photography.  I wanted to be a photojournalist.  I wanted to travel the world and take “important” photographs that changed the way people thought about the world.

Funeral in Zimbabwe

What actually happened was that the first person who would hire me was a wedding photographer.  At the time, his work was like nothing I’d ever seen before – it was like a combination of photojournalism, fine art black & white film, and weddings all rolled into one.  So, I dove in head first and started learning all about wedding photography.  But that itch to document the hard things of this world has never left me.  I’ve travelled to many countries on missions trips with my church, and as a photographer on behalf of non-profit organizations, and captured all that I saw and experienced.  And still, I’ve wanted more.

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It’s been over four years since my last trip, and my heart has literally ached for another opportunity.  Then, just a couple of weeks ago, I got this email from my friend Grant who lives in Singapore:

“Hey Krista,  What does your calendar look like in November? How about a trip to Nepal…”

He sent me to the website for the Lighthouse Foundation, where I read about the Badi Girls.  Nepal is primarily Hindu and holds to the caste system, in which the Badi people are the lowest of the low, the lowest of even the Untouchables.  And though they are “untouchable,” the only way most families can even survive is to offer up their daughters as prostitutes.  I read the testimonies of two young girls who had been drugged, sold to brothels, forced into prostitution, severely beaten, and eventually escaped and came to live in the Lighthouse orphanages.  And with tears streaming down my cheeks I realized that I had no choice but to go and do the only thing I really can do – photograph this story.  Grant started a company called Code Red Films and will be organizing the trip, and gathering a crew to go into Nepal and shoot a documentary about the Badi Girls.  I am honored to be invited to work on the project as the still photographer, and completely overwhelmed at the thought of what this experience will be like.  So, in just a few weeks, I’ll be heading to Singapore, then Nepal to spend 2 weeks meeting and photographing these girls.  I have no doubt that it will be an incredibly difficult, and gut-wrenching project, but somehow I’m still excited that we are tackling it and I can’t wait to see what God will do with this!

Code Red Films (i.e. Grant) is financing this project with funds donated by people from all over the world.  Please consider supporting our efforts by donating either directly to Code Red Films, or to Krista Photography.  None of the donations are tax deductible, but they will be greatly appreciated and used directly towards expenses associated with the film (plane tickets, travel within Nepal, post-production, etc.).  Also all GIVE Program donations will be directed towards this project for all weddings booked within the next 2 months.  If you’d like to re-direct your GIVE donation to this project, but have already booked, please let me know before your wedding!  And if you are a praying person, please pray for this project!  Pray for us as we form a team, and a plan, and for our safety and the safety of everyone who participates and helps us along the way!

I’m looking forward to keeping you updated on this project over the coming weeks and months!!  THANK YOU so much for supporting us in this project!!

Posted on by Krista Guenin

The Great Giveaway was awesome!

I love The Great Giveaway!!  Every year, it never ceases to amaze me how many people come out for it – both volunteers from GENESIS, and people from the community.  This year we were specifically praying that 600 people would come, and God totally blew us away when over 800 people showed up!!!  About 15 minutes before we opened there were over 300 people waiting, and almost everything was gone within the first 45 minutes.  It was NUTS!  But SO FUN!

It took us a month to collect all of the items that were given away, a week to organize it all, and about 3 hours to put it all out on display.

The Great Giveaway 2012

The Great Giveaway 2012

The Great Giveaway 2012

The Great Giveaway 2012

The Great Giveaway 2012

People began lining up and waiting by about 7:30am (the giveaway began at 10am)

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My friend Tracy did a fabulous job organizing the event!

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My lovely friend Christie was passing out balloons (photo taken on instagram).  I heart this picture of her :)

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All the volunteers gathered to pray right before we opened the “doors”

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The masses are getting excited!!

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Check out this quick little video I made of the opening of the floodgates!  It was NUTS!!!

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The Great Giveaway 2012

The Great Giveaway 2012

The Great Giveaway 2012

This guy was the big winner of the day, and walked away with a FREE 60″ TV!!  He was pretty pumped to say the least ;)

The Great Giveaway 2012

The Great Giveaway 2012

My brother, Michael, did an awesome job with the bullhorn, keeping everyone entertained and informed!

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The kids probably had the most fun!  I love these two, and their deep discussion about stuffed animals.  It looks like intense negotiations, haha!

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Games inside for the kiddos

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And a bouncy house outside for the kids big and small ;)

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Um, perhaps they were over-sugared…  My nephew Tristan would beg to differ

The Great Giveaway 2012

Facepainting fun!  My niece Reilly and her best buddy Maddie got matching face parrots

The Great Giveaway 2012

Oh Dylan, you make an adorable basketball!

The Great Giveaway 2012

My nephew Caeden – almost as excited about the hot dog as he is about that container full of candy!

The Great Giveaway 2012

We grilled and gave away almost 1,000 hot dogs!!

The Great Giveaway 2012

I have no clue how much popcorn and cotton candy we made, but Bettina was COVERED in it!

The Great Giveaway 2012

Seriously, there were SO many PEOPLE there!!!!  But within an hour almost all of this was gone, and it was just people eating hot dogs and playing games.

The Great Giveaway 2012

SUCH a fun day!!!  I can’t wait for next year!!!!

to view more of my favorites from The Great Giveaway, check out the album on Facebook!