|
|
      
Focus on
Families
What
was your Experience?
Everyone who entered our photo contest was asked a simple question:
What is your experiecne of Focus on Families, especially making it to Round Two. Below are their answers, along with an example
photo.
 Erin Keen
Making
it to the second round in the Focus on Families Contest made me extremely
happy! I was so excited to share some of the special moments that our family spends
with our daughter! I recently got a new camera for my birthday and I take
hundreds of photos of my daughter! I loved that this contest required pictures
of both a child and a caregiver! As I searched through all the photos of my
daughter, I realized that the best shots are of her with our family members! It
made me focus on taking even more family pictures!
 Cheri Chevalier
From a marketing perspective, I thought this campaign was very well done. It
wasn't just about submitting pictures, it was about thinking about the
categories of the pictures where the real value was. And it made me think, so
I consider that very successful. Congrats. .
 Karen Champagne
I think
the contest is marketing genius, and I must admit I
loved looking at all the pictures submitted. It is heart warming to see
"family time" represented by the pictures and it is nice to know that
print media can be wholesome. Making
it to the second round means a lot to me. My son Ben is a single dad.
His son is
visually impaired and has a multitude of other health problems. Ben is
24 and
has done an absolutely amazing job with his son and I am so incredibly
proud of
him, since it has not been an easy task to care for a child
with disabilities. I
just feel like these pictures honour him as an amazing dad who has put
his own
needs aside for his son's happiness and well being.
 Lynda Bizi
Making
it to the second
round makes me feel so proud of my boys. As a mom, when I watch my
husband
interact with his son it gives me total joy as I watch
him pass on
the legacy of "Dad and Kids" time. This time spent with your
kids is so precious. Once it is gone, you can never get it back.
 Leanne Carter
I've
actually never submitted a photo to any contest before, although I
always
thought it would be cool to do so. I finally acted on it! Ask
anyone I
know; I take A LOT of photos! Mostly of my kids, family
& friends.
I'm
pleased to have reached the 2nd round. I quite enjoyed the reflection
time with my photos when I was selecting the ones I
entered. It made me
smile to remember the event and to know we were all having a great time.
 Lisa Tsapoitis
How
does it feel to make it to the judges' shortlist?
Stupendous!!! I
have always loved capturing moments in time when no one is looking. The
two entries I submitted were from a very special day, but more
importantly it was the opportunity for my little guy to spend
time with
family that he doesn't often get a chance to. It is those special
moments
between family that can be captured and hung on a wall for years
without
losing value, and the sentimental feelings that accompany the
memory
are beyond measure. So win or lose I'm content in knowing that I've
captured a
moment in time that is beyond reward, that is just priceless.
 Karen Fyffe
I
absolutely love that
picture of my daughter and me. It brings me to tears every time I look
at it. Even though she cannot speak, I now know that
I don't have to worry about wondering if she knows how much I love her.
I feel
that our picture conveys the epitome of a mothers love for her sweet
girl. Naturally
I think so, as I not only see it when I look at that picture of her and
me,
I feel it deep in my heart. Making it to round two shows me
that others
see it, and maybe even feel it too, which is rewarding
and makes me
feel overwhelmingly proud. Thank you for that.
 Alice Ke Li
My
experience entering
this contest was far more intense and interesting than I had expected.
Seeing
and being part of this contest's progress through
rounds of
elimination, it really makes me feel involved in the competition. And
along with
it comes a feeling similar to that of Canadian Idol. Being able to
communicate with the UEY Coordinator about the contest while it was
going
on makes me feel like I'm really part of this, and it also gave me more
hope I
would make it far because most contests keep these details mysteriously
to
themselves until they reveal the final winners. Making it to the second
round
makes me feel proud of my family and my photographic
skills. It truly
means a lot to me, especially the fact that this contest focuses on
families. I could only hope for the best because I know that
(other than
judges) my family members are the ones to thank for every step further
I get in
this competition since they are the ones supporting me.
 Susan Crawford
Submitting
to this contest has allowed me to reflect on my son’s
milestones the past year
and made me realize how quick time passes when you are having fun! All
I want
to do is enjoy every moment with William
and capture it all on film.
 Rachel Gleason
Entering
this contest
really made me aware of the special moments that my husband and I have
with our
son. Going through the photos we have taken with him brought
back many
memories, and made me want to capture so many more.
Children really are gifts to be cherished and the time we have with
them while
they are small is so precious. Every second with them needs to be
savoured,
because they seem to change in a blink of eye!
 Julie Emery
My
husband and I are
very pleased to have made it to the second round as it is always nice
to have
someone else appreciate any of the very special family moments that we
happen
to catch on film… and there are LOTS of them. Thanks for the
opportunity to
showcase some of our favourite times together.
 Carlos Barrios
To
be able to
participate on this contest has been a nice experience. Selecting the
pictures
and giving them a meaning and putting them into a category has been a
challenge—but
it is worth it. My wife and I love Milton
and
the sense of community and young families that live in Milton
make it worth it to raise a family
here. My kids enjoy the neighbourhood a lot. It is an honor to have my
picture
selected out of hundreds of pictures for the second round. I feel lucky
because
lots of people submitted beautiful pictures that show the true spirit
of young
families in Milton
and mine were selected among all those nice pictures.
 Cathy Gosset
I
have had fun with the
process of entering the contest and selecting family pictures that
depict the
different categories symbolizing the importance of family. I have also
liked
looking at all the other entries and the photos are all amazing to look
at and
to see the closeness, love and affection depicted in them.
I’m excited to
have a couple of my pics make it to the second round and quite proud!
Thank you.
 Sandra
Fargiorgio-Yundt
I
had never heard of "The
Early Years" before seeing the posters for the contest. Since entering,
I have visited Milton's OEYC and was very impressed with the
facilities,
location, and especially the staff. I am currently on maternity leave
with a 6
month old boy and had no intention of enrolling my 2.5 year old in a
Nursery
Class. After speaking with the staff, I have my son signed up afternoon
classes. Also, I visited the parent resource library and the staff
member that assisted me was extremely helpful and knowledgeable.
My son started wearing eye glasses today and I was able to sign out a
movie and book that helped him with today's visit with his Optometrist.
The Early
Years
Center made
this
huge transition for my son into a positive experience. I cannot Thank
You enough! As
for making it to the second round, I think that's great. But we are
already
"winners" with becoming familiar with The Early Years.
 Lisa Chartrand
Although
not a
photographer, I love to take the camera to all major events (and even
some
minor ones too!) to capture life as we know it...this photo was really
not
staged; it was a 'snapshot' and one of the many wonderful
moments my
husband has with our daughters. I hope it captures that a father's
involvement
goes beyond just the male figure in their lives but also as a coach, a
mentor
and hopefully eventually a friend.
 Shannon Wardeh
A
big thanks and
congrats to you for all you have done for this contest and warming the
hearts
of the families in the Milton
community. I find our days are filled with such busyness that we take
little
time to sit back and appreciate the 'little things'. While going
through my
photo collection to find entries for the contest I had the
chance
to smile, laugh and cry while remembering the various
memories I have
captured and can cherish forever. Thank you for encouraging me to stop
and
smell the roses!
 Angela Bertolo
It
is special to me to
make the 2nd round since the picture is that of my son with my
grandmother who
turned 85 on that day. My grandmother loves him so much that I'll
cherish this
picture always, as you can see the joy in her face as she holds him. It
is an
amazing thing to be able to witness and capture the pure bliss of a
great-grandmother enjoying her great-grandson, when at times she was
not sure
it was ever going to happen. One day I can show
him this photo and explain the story behind it, and let him know that,
to my
grandmother, he'll always be known as "tesoro" (which is the Italian
would for "treasure"). Thank you.
 Shannon Gunn
It was
a lot of fun getting together with my family to look through the
photos. We got
to remember all the good times, fun times and crazy times! It was
exciting to
see that several of our pictures made it to the second round. My nephew
loved
seeing himself on the screen. Thank you so much for this fun
opportunity!
Rit a Kent
I
feel honoured to make
it to the second round of the contest because the photo entered may
help
demonstrate to others how important it is for dads to have fun with
their
children with no inhibitions. If my
photo portrays this to even
one person than it has done its job.
 Jacqueline Davis
The
experience entering
the contest has been an awesome one. I love photos because they tell so
much
about the union of the family. A picture is really like a thousand
words. So I
was so excited for the opportunity for my family's story to be told
through our
photos. Thanks “Focus on the Family.”
 Janice Wilkinson
I
just want to thank you
for the opportunity to enter this contest. Of all the photos I entered,
this
one means the world to me. To have it put under the scrutiny of the
judges has
been somewhat nerve wracking! When I learned that this
photo was chosen
among the winners, it brought a tear to my eye. I am truly honored,
especially
considering all of the beautiful photographs that were
entered. Thank-you
again.
The
Understanding the
Early Years initiative is funded by Human Resources and Social
Development
Canada. For further information, visit www.hrsdc.gc.ca.
|
