During the Summer of 2019, I had the incredible opportunity and experience of attending the Profundo Workshop—the brain child of my wonderful friend Maureen Cassidy. The vision was simple, yet ambitious: Do good for others while growing as a photographer and person…

Tashirat sits just outside of town in Tepoztlán, Mexico. It is a home for orphaned children who were deemed “ineligible for adoption” by the government. The reasons range from physical/mental disabilities, to simply being “too old (6-7 yrs or older).” Normally these children would be relegated to government care, which as I understand it, provides essentially a bare minimum for child care. The people of Tashirat had a vision 16 years ago to take in these children and provide a home for them.

Currently they house 30 children in a few different homes, all given full-time around the clock care by the “parents” who have dedicated their lives to raising these children as their own. They are provided with healthy meals, individual rooms, an education, and the love and support that any child needs growing up. To witness this was beyond any of my expectations. The children were truly happy and playful and welcoming.

This incredible environment provided the backdrop for the workshop. We were mentored in small teams by Buffy Goodman, Citlalli Rico, Daniel Aguilar and Kirsten Lewis Bethmann, who helped us leverage our strengths and identify our weaknesses. Or even just how to push ourselves to get to that “next level” of growth. Meanwhile, my incredibly kind and beautiful friend Kara Counard brought The Honoring Elders Project to Mexico (you guys have to check out what she’s doing here too!)

There were two powerful highlights of the entire experience for me. First, was the presentation night when everyone shared a 20 image slideshow with the attendees and the children and parents of Tashirat. The reactions and laughter and joy on their faces was everything.

The images I’m sharing here are a snippet of what I saw and felt in the short time I had with the kids at Tashirat. It was such an enriching experience, both emotionally and photographically.

And again, a huge thank you to Maureen who had the vision, my dear friend Danny Klimetz who provided logistical support to help execute, and the teachers who gave their time, knowledge and talent.

You can learn more about Tashirat here: https://www.tashirat.com