Meet Kimberly Naranjo (pictured right) of Evolve Studio. Mother of two, business owner, artist, photographer and founder of a non-profit. Kimberly’s specialty is ‘lifestyle phography’: photos taken in her clients’ homes and other spaces where they spend their quality time. Her goal is to “capture and make the ordinary beautiful” by finding those times people want to remember and “make what seems ordinary into beautiful art.”

Using digital photography, which gives the artist final control over the image, Kimberly creates photographs that are not just captured still moments, but are “carefully orchestrated beautifully composed renderings of those memories that will far outlast what it is depicting.”

Kimberly, who photographs people of all ages and in all stages of life, especially enjoys being a part of capturing new life. “As an artist what I feel most drawn toward and connected with at this time in my life, is the joy in sharing with new parents the birth of their babies,” says Kimberly. “I enjoy focusing much of my time on my new package From Birth to Birthday where I start photographing a newborn within the first seven days and then for every milestone there after until the first birthday. Then, I enjoy photographing the same children throughout their lives, giving the families wonderful non-traditional portraits that they can love and that go well in their homes.”

It follows quite naturally that Kimberly’s tip for non-professionals who photograph children is simply to take pictures often, to not make them smile and to simply capture them being who they are doing what they love.

Whether the photographs are of people or of places (you can see some of her limited edition art prints for sale at www.evolvelove.etsy.com), Kimberly’s passion for her work is clear in the images she creates.

“I thank God everyday for the privilege to be allowed into the lives of others and get to experience some of the most joyful moments they could feel. It is all about moments they want to remember, and in turn I have the privilege to provide for them artistic treasures that that they can cherish and remember forever. It is honestly a pure joy. I usually stay with my clients and their families and photograph them throughout the years, and I grow to sincerely care for them and their lives more and more.”

Remember My Love
Another passion of Kimberly’s is her new non-profit organization, Remember My Love. Founded in honor of Kimberly’s mother, Julia Ann, who died when Kimberly was a young child, Remember My Love was designed to bless families that are currently fighting cancer with beautiful photographs capturing the emotion and love that they have for their families and the relationships they share and hold so dear to their hearts. Learn more at www.remembermyloveproject.blogspot.com

Evolve Studio Special: Mention this article to receive a matted 8×12 signature print with your first session.

Learn more about Kimberly and her work at www.evolvestudiophoto.com

Canavan Disease is a devastating genetic brain disorder that prevents myelin, also know as white matter, from forming in the brain. Children stricken with Canavan’s disease are essentially trapped in their bodies, unable to lift their heads or move, they typically lose their eyesight and are unable to fight off illness. Most die within their first decade of life.

Hopeless cause you say? Not even remotely if the Jacob’s Cure foundation has anything to do about it. Founded by Jordana Holovach and named for her son, Jacob, the foundation works to support federal and private funding for research as well as raising awareness about the disease.

On the medical front there has been some dramatic breakthroughs in the last few years with a gene therapy clinical trial. In a clinical safety trial, of which Jacob was a participant, Canavan children saw very positive results including improved eyesight, weight gain, and miraculously, the development of new myelin. Unfortunately, federal funding is scarce even though the study was so promising.

What can you do, Clever Parent? Check out the Jacob’s Cure website to make a donation directly, learn more about the disease, or find out about Jacob’s Cure fund raisers in your area. You can also purchase the Jacob’s Cure Smiley bag (pictured above) from Baby Dish help raise funds. And while you’re at it, write to your Senator or Congressman and tell them that we don’t need Bridges to Nowhere but we do need funding for research into diseases like Canavan’s.

Learn more about Jacob’s Cure at www.jacobscure.org and watch the Clever Parents TV feature on Jacob’s Cure at www.cleverparents.tv

Planning a baby shower and hoping to steer clear of cheesy games? Pick up a deck of BabySmarts for a fun new twist on old baby shower games. Players choose from 60 question and answer cards and test their knowledge of all things baby. Approximately what percent of births in the US are twins? True or False: Your feet grow during pregnancy. Which of these popular adult foods originated as “health food” for infants: A. Malted milk B. Rice pudding C. Yogurt D. Cream of Wheat?

Organized by four categories: baby, mom, culture and wildcard, the questions are fun and certain to occasionally stump even the most experienced parent. Like a competition? The included scorecard tracks the most BabySmart of the group.

Plus, feel good about your purchase. Three percent of each sale benefits the non-profit Nurse-Family Partnership – a nationally acclaimed program providing highly educated nurses to visit homes of low income, first-time mothers to provide support, education and counseling.

Learn more about BabySmarts at smartsco.com (Get 10% off if you mention you read about BabySmarts on Clever Parents!)

Introducing St. Baldrick’s Foundation – Shaving the Way to Help Conquer Kids’ Cancer. Here’s how you can help the cause (even if you don’t want to shave your own head). Plus, Step by Step Fundraising, Relay for Life, the American Heart Association Heart Walk and a list of charitable walks in your area. Watch the vidcast on Clever Parents TV.

If your New Year’s resolutions included volunteering, congratulations – the world needs more people like you.

If you’re reading this chances are you’re better off than 98% of the rest of world. Sure, you can have a better job, bigger house, and nicer car. But even having a job, house or car puts you way ahead of the pack. And I don’t just mean the less fortunate in Third World countries; right here, in every state of in the Union, there are those who don’t have the food, shelter or help they need to have better lives. Men, women, and children; old and young. They need our help.

That’s the bad news. The good news? You want to do something about that. Don’t worry, you don’t have to endow a foundation or give millions to help. There are plenty of things you can do right now that won’t require donating money. And, if you’re clever about it, and we know you are, volunteering is something that will give back to you as well.

Before choosing a charity or activity to devote your time and efforts to, do a little planning and ask yourself a couple of questions and answer them honestly. Doing so will guarantee that your genorousity doesn’t become a New Year’s fad like the Bowflex exercise machine in your basement–sorry to bring that up, but seriously, you haven’t touched that thing in years.

1. What are you passionate about?

Finding a charity that taps into your interests, will satisfy you far more than one that doesn’t involve something that gets you going. If you love reading to your children, think about volunteering for a library story hour. Like home improvement, play Extreme Makeover with Habitat for Humanity. Interested in art? I bet your local art museum has a need for docents. You get the picture.

2. What are you good at?

Crackerjack accountant, financial wizard? You can make an immediate impact at a charity that needs bookkeeping help. Likewise, if you know your way around a framing nailer, Habitat needs you.

3. What skills do you want to learn?

Volunteering is a great, often overlooked, way to pickup new skills or brush off rusty ones. Interested in learning or perfecting your foreign language skills? Look for a charity that works with non-English speakers.

4. Double or triple dip.

Don’t settle for just one goal (volunteering), when you can knock off several. Join a Team in Training like program and reach your fitness goals while raising money for a good cause. Resolved to get outside more? Help build trails for the Sierra Club or a local hiking society. Better yet, think up a double dipping opportunity, then plan a way to tackle it as a family so you can hit your “Spend more time with the family” goals as well.

5. Go Huge.

You’re clever, don’t settle for the run of the mill. Go Huge. Tackle the all time combo: Start your own non-profit. Pick a cause your crazy about, set goals for helping, then devise a way to raise money, awareness, and recruit help to achieve those goals. When you succeed it’ll beat every other New Year’s Resolution you’ve ever had.

This Friday, December 1st is World AIDS Day, and Gap.com is doing its share to help eliminate AIDS in Africa. Partnering with Bono’s (RED) Initiative, Gap has introduced (PRODUCT) RED, a limited edition line of clothing and accessories for men and women.

Items range from graphic tees made in Africa from 100% African cotton emblazoned with words like INSPI(RED) and DESI(RED), to the fragrant SHA(RED) candle, perfect for gift-giving. And just for your husband, there’s a white hoodie that says BO(RED)—the ideal uniform to wear when taking you shopping.

So get inspired and share the love. Half of the profits will be donated to the Global Fund to help programs for women and children affected by AIDS in Africa.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve always been a sucker for traditions. Whether it’s my grandmother’s peas at Christmas or our weekly family breakfasts at Big Ed’s on Saturday mornings, there is something comforting in the anticipation and realization of those special times. If you like a good family tradition, or if you’d like to create a new one, The Box Girls’ Box of Questions is for you.

Fueled by six hungry children, two hungry husbands and a dinner that seemed to take forever to arrive, longtime friends Cece Feiler and Heidi Haddad decided to avoid a mealtime disaster and started asking questions that anyone at the table could answer. What sort of questions were the topic of the day? Skipping the fluff of reality TV and celebrity gossip as well as trivial topics of sports and geography, the two friends brought up serious, thought-provoking questions touching on everything from ethics and charity to family and society. The meal and dialogue was a huge success and The Box of Questions was born.

The Box of Questions is really… a box of questions. The attractively packaged box (depending on the version, some are circular, some square, all cute) include 35 questions and additional goodies which are specific to each product. The Christmas Box of Questions includes questions such as ‘Is there an ornament from the Christmas tree that is dear to you?’ and ‘Saint Nicholas, a fourth century Bishop, was known for his generosity in giving to those less fortunate than he. What good deed or act of kindness can you do this Christmas season?’ What you do with the questions and how you play is up to you, although the box includes a few examples of how you might use them. (The primary rule is that there are no right or wrong answers and no time limit.) The Christmas ‘extra goodies’ include 5 blank cards and ribbon that you can use to create your own ornaments or add new questions as you wish.

The Box of Questions is a great gift, it’s a great start-a-tradition item and it’s a great get-back-to-why-we’re-celebrating exercise. Plus, it’s a feel-good purchase knowing that a portion of the proceeds from the sale of each box benefits Women’s Cancer Research Fund. At $19.95 a pop, they’re easy on the pocketbook and long on the memories. Pick up The Christmas Box of Questions, the Hanukkah Box of Questions, the Shabbat Box of Questions, the Thanksgiving Box of Questions (buy it now for next year and save 50% for a limited time only) and the Girlfriends Box of Questions (perfect for a bridal shower, birthdays, or a prelude to a girls night out) at www.theboxgirls.com.

We would like everyone to meet (if you haven’t met already) our friends at Project Cuddle! They are a very deserving and worthwhile charity that helps prevent baby abandonment and has helped save the lives of hundreds of babies since its inception 10 years ago.

Please check out their website at www.projectcuddle.org and show your support!

Also, through January 31, 2007, BabySwap will be donating 15% of the proceeds we receive from all our service provider listings to Project Cuddle. To sign up through BabySwap, please visit our website at www.babyswap.net.

Thanks for swapping!

Laura and Scott

My pick this week is from Lena’s Notebook (yes, that’s me).

We are now selling a long-sleeved version of the “Just Tryin’ To Matter Tee.”

I am so excited because ALL PROCEEDS from the sale of this shirt and the short-sleeved version, from now until the end of October, will be donated to the fight against breast cancer, specifically, to The Judy Ride Foundation(www.judyride.org).

We have had great response to the original Just Tryin’ to Matter tee (which is still available at Lena’s Store). Here are a few examples:

• “I received my shirt and I love it! I already wore it today! Thanks so much!” — California
• “I received my t-shirt and I love it. I immediately wore it that evening to grab a quick bite to eat . . . I was too excited to wait. Anyway, the fit is perfect and I love where the sleeves hit my upper arms.” — Texas
• “I love it! Great idea, great phrase, awesome design!” — Iowa
• “A girlfriend of mine just bought one of your ‘just tryin’ to matter’ shirts and LOVES it. Now another friend is going to buy the shirt and thinks she’ll use it as her new birthday present to girlfriend present!” — North Carolina

Buy yours now and support a wonderful cause!

Wear a blue wristband and help people with Cystic Fibrosis breathe easier. Show your support for the 30,000 people with CF by wearing this bright blue rubber wristband and raising awareness for the need for a cure. Money generated from the distribution of these “Breathe” bracelets will support the vital research and care programs of the CF Foundation. The word “Breathe” and www.cff.org” appear in block letters on the wristband. Buy wristbands here. $2 each, 10 wristbands minimum.

In 2003, the Komen Foundation celebrated the 20^th anniversary of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation Race for the Cure®, the largest series of 5K runs/fitness walks in the world. Nearly 1.4 million people are expected to participate in more than 100 races in 2005.The Komen Race for the Cure® Series raises significant funds and awareness for the fight against breast cancer, celebrates breast cancer survivorship, and honors those who have lost their battle with the disease. Learn more about the race on The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation website.

Here’s a picture of one Clever Parent who recently ran in the Knoxville, Tennessee Race for the Cure.

- Caroline, mom to Anastasia, 2 (and expecting #2 in a few short months) having just completed the October 2005 Knoxville, Tennessee Race for the Cure

American Cancer Society
www.cancer.org
Stated Purpose: “to [eliminate] cancer as a major health problem by preventing cancer, [save] lives, and [diminish] suffering from cancer, through research, education, advocacy, and service.”American Heart Association
www.americanheart.org
Stated Purpose: “the reduction of disability and death from cardiovascular diseases and stroke.”

American Lung Association
www.lungusa.org
Stated Purpose: “to prevent lung disease and promote lung health.”

American Red Cross August 2005
www.redcross.org
Stated Purpose: “to provide relief to victims of disaster and help people prevent, prepare for, and respond to emergencies.”

AmeriCares Foundation
www.americares.org
Stated Purpose: “to provide emergency medical and other disaster relief aid to areas throughout the world”

Arthritis Foundation
www.arthritis.org

CARE USA
www.careusa.org
Stated Purpose: “to serve individuals and families in the poorest communities in the world.”

Helen Keller International
www.hki.org
Stated Purpose: “to save the sight and lives of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged; and to combat the causes and consequences of blindness and malnutrition by establishing programs based on evidence and research in vision, health and nutrition.”

Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
www.cff.org
Stated Purpose: “to assure the development of the means to cure and control cystic fibrosis and to improve the quality of life for those with the disease.”

Doctors Without Borders USA
www.doctorswithoutborders.org
Stated Purpose: “to deliver emergency aid to people affected by armed conflict, epidemics, natural and man-made disasters, and exclusion from health care in more than 70 countries.”

Food for the Hungry
www.fh.org

Goodwill Industries International
www.goodwill.
Stated Purpose: “to enhance the quality and dignity of life for individuals, families, and communities on a global basis, through the power of work, by eliminating barriers to opportunity for people with special needs, and by facilitating empowerment, self-help, and service through dedicated, autonomous local organizations.”

Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind
www.guidedog.
Stated Purpose: “to assist the blind; to breed and train guide dogs; to train the blind to use these guide dogs; to do everything necessary or desirable to improve the independence of the blind and educating the public about opportunities for the blind in our society.”

Habitat for Humanity International
www.habitat.
Stated Purpose: [to work] “in partnership with God and people everywhere, to develop communities with people in need by building and renovating houses so that there are decent houses in decent communities in which people can live and grow into all that God intended.”

HOPE Worldwide
www.hopeww.org
Stated Purpose: “to strive to prevent poverty, care for the needy and empower individuals, communities and institutions to rise out of their situations.”

Humane Society of the United States
www.hsus.org
Stated Purpose: “to create a humane and sustainable world for all animals, including people, through education, advocacy, and the promotion of respect and compassion.”

International Waldenstrom’s Macroglobulinemia Foundation
www.iwmf.com
The purpose of the Foundation is to provide information, resources, a communications network, and experience on how to live with WM, plus encouragement to those affected by this rare and incurable blood cancer.

Lance Armstrong Foundation
www.laf.org
Stated Purpose: “to enhance the quality of life for those living with, through and beyond cancer…to promote the optimal physical, psychological and social recovery and care of cancer survivors and their loved ones.”

Multiple Sclerosis Foundation January 2005
www.msfocus.org
Stated Purpose: “to strive to ensure the best quallity of life for those coping with multiple sclerosis through the development of support services…”

Muscular Dystrophy Association
www.mdausa.org
Stated Purpose: “to support worldwide research at hundreds of universities and hospitals to find the causes and cures or effective treatments for 40 neuromuscular diseases.”

Oprah’s Angel Network August 2005
www.oprahsangelnetwork.org
Stated Purpose: “inspiring people to make a difference in the lives of others…seeking to support and fund organizations and individuals dedicated to assisting people with basic human needs, regaining dignity, and educational initiatives

Oxfam America
www.oxfamamerica.org
Stated Purpose: “to create lasting solutions to hunger, poverty and social injustice through long-term partnerships with poor communities around the world.”

Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation
www.komen.org
Stated Purpose: “to eradicate breast cancer as a life-threatening disease by advancing research, education, screening, and treatment.”

United Cerebral Palsy Associations
www.ucp.org

United States Fund for UNICEF
www.unicefusa.org
Stated Purpose: “to promote the survival, protection, and development of children worldwide through fundraising, education, and advocacy.”

United Way of America
www.unitedway.org
Stated Purpose: “to improve people’s lives by mobilizing the caring power of communities.”

Volunteers of America, Inc. – National Office
www.volunteersofamerica.org
Stated Purpose: “to reach and uplift all people and bring them to the knowledge and active service of God by serving people and communities in need and creating opportunities for people to experience the joy of serving others.”