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“One wife told me that she
blew up one of the photos of
her husband and hung it in her
18-month-old daughter’s room,”
she says. “She wanted to keep
her daughter’s memory of her
father fresh while he was away.
It worked. When the service
member returned home, their
daughter ran right up to him at
the airport, calling out, ‘Daddy,
daddy!’”
Although she no longer works
with the organization, Heath con-tinues
to cherish her time there.
“It has been one of the best
and most worthwhile decisions
I’ve ever made,” she says.
As HeartsApart.org looks to
the future, its mission is to stay
the course.
“The goal is always for more
photographers and more shoots,”
Martin says. “We are committed
to this and want to help as many
service members and families
as we can. So long as our forces
continue to be sent overseas and
put in harm’s way, we will be here
to support them.”
In recent years, HeartsApart.
org has expanded to offer ses-sions
for babies born while a par-ent
is away on deployment.
“It’s profound how much a
photograph can mean,” Martin
says. “It’s something that’s dif-ficult
Both founders share an
unwavering dedication in
their continued support of the
organization.
“Working with HeartsApart
is my way to give back,” Harris
says. “This is something that will
be here and continue after we
are gone.”
23
to put into words.”
ERIC ADELEYE
www.wrightsvillebeachmagazine.com WBM
ERIC ADELEYE
ERIC ADELEYE ERIC ADELEYE