Innovative Non-Profit Organization Grows Image Collection to over 1,000 Images,
Raising More Than $250,000 for International Aid
Vancouver, BC, Jan. 20, 2009. Compassionate Eye Foundation (CEF) today announces its achievement of raising more than $250,000 for international aid through its unique photography collection distributed by Getty Images, the world’s leading creator and distributor of visual content and other digital media. CEF’s innovative fundraising model is the first of its kind that generates funds for a non-profit through an imagery licensing process.
“The split second that I had this idea and presented it to my agent at Getty Images, I was extremely excited by the prospect of our partnership. I was overwhelmed by how quickly Getty Images embraced this idea,” said Robert Kent, photography and founder of CEF, headquartered in Vancouver BC. “Getty Images went above and beyond, offering additional donations, art direction on shoots and administrative assistance. None of this would have been possible without their support and compassion.”
Through these funds, CEF supports many projects focusing on children and women’s issues, including health, education and sustainability in developing nations. To date, the funds have helped to build an elementary school and establish scholarship funds in Guatemala; support educational projects at Fezeka School in Cape Town, South Africa; and, a number of income and livelihood enterprises in Ethiopia. CEF also collaborates with other non-profit organizations with a shared desire to help the global community, including Alianza, Education without Boarders, As Green as it Gets, Free The Children and Canadian Hunger Foundation.
CEF’s philanthropic efforts are made possible by a group of photographers and creative professionals committed to making a positive difference in the world. Each June, photographers participate in the foundation’s annual Summer Solstice Shoot, held in various locations around the world, and collaborate with Getty Images’ art directors to create compelling imagery. Royalties generated from the licensing of the imagery enable the Compassionate Eye Foundation to aid in the improvement of education, health and sustainability in developing nations.
“The whole proposition immediately resonated with us at OJO Images as an exciting, logical and achievable path to create funds,” said Chris Ryan, photographer and founder of London-based OJO Images. “By combining several of our photo teams with the talents of Getty Images’ art directors, these shoots have become an utterly enjoyable, creative, rewarding and uplifting experience for all participants. Furthermore, it enables us to create and donate hundreds of strong conceptual images towards the CEF collection.”
Since its inception in 2005, Compassionate Eye has partnered with Getty Images and contributing photographers to create imagery that becomes an on-going source of funding for the foundation’s philanthropic efforts. By collaborating with more than 100 photographers, CEF’s collection features more than 1,000 inspiring and conceptually strong creative images, which have earned various industry awards and accolades including Photo District News Photo Annual and Creative Review Photography Annual.
About Compassionate Eye Foundation
Compassionate Eye Foundation is an innovative non-profit organization founded on the principle that creative people as a community can, and want to, make a positive difference in the world. It is CEF’s belief that education is the cornerstone to change. It is through promoting education, that CEF assists developing communities around the world, become more sustainable and healthy. Each year on or around June 21st, the Summer Solstice, photographers and their crews around the world voluntarily produce a one day stock photo shoot. The royalty revenue generated through image licensing at Getty Images are donated to CEF.
To obtain more information about Compassionate Eye Foundation and their charitable efforts, or to get involved, please visit http://www.compassionateeye.org.
About Getty Images
Getty Images is the world’s leading creator and distributor of still imagery, footage and multi-media products, as well as a recognized provider of other forms of premium digital content, including music. Getty Images serves business customers in more than 100 countries and is the first place creative and media professionals turn to discover purchase and manage images and other digital content. Its award-winning photographers and imagery help customers produce inspiring work which appears every day in the world’s most influential newspapers, magazines, advertising campaigns, films, television programs, books and websites. Visit Getty Images at www.gettyimages.com to learn more about how the company is advancing the unique role of digital media in communications and business, and enabling creative ideas to come to life.
To view or licensing imagery from the Compassionate Eye Foundation collection on Getty Images, or learn more about their collaborative efforts, please visit http://www.gettyimages.com/cef.
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