Photography by Mari

06/27/2026

What a week at Camp Dragonfly!

My heart is so full.

These campers are some of the kindest, most thoughtful, and most resilient kids I've ever met. Watching their confidence grow throughout the week and seeing the joy on their faces each day was an incredible gift.

A huge THANK YOU to everyone who donated to the Camp Dragonfly Camera Project. Because of your generosity, every camper had a camera to call their own for the week. I only wish you could have seen their faces when they received their cameras... and again when they saw one of their own photographs printed as an 8x10. Those moments were priceless.

The cameras weren't about taking perfect pictures. They were about helping campers tell their stories, explore their feelings, and see the world through their own unique perspective.

Each day, their photography centered around a different social-emotional theme:

📷 Monday – Self-Awareness
"Who am I? How do I feel today?"
They photographed things that reflected their personality, emotions, favorite colors, and what made them uniquely them.

🌿 Tuesday – Self-Management
"How do I stay calm and strong?"
They looked for things that brought them peace, showed courage, represented patience, or reminded them of healthy ways to cope.

🤝 Wednesday – Social Awareness
"Seeing the world through someone else's eyes."
Campers photographed kindness, teamwork, empathy, nature, and the many ways we are connected to one another.

❤️ Thursday – Relationship Skills
"The people who lift us up."
Their cameras captured friendship, trust, encouragement, laughter, and moments that showed what it means to support one another.

⭐ Friday – Responsible Decision-Making
"What kind of person do I want to be?"
They photographed choices, goals, hope, and the people and places that inspire them to make positive decisions.

Yesterday we held the very first Camp Dragonfly Art Show, where each camper proudly displayed an 8x10 print of one of their photographs. Watching parents walk through the exhibit while the campers excitedly shared the stories behind their images was something I'll never forget.

Thank you, Kris and everyone at Camp Dragonfly, for trusting me to be part of such a meaningful week. And thank you again to every person who donated, encouraged, shared the fundraiser, or believed in this project. You didn't just help provide cameras—you helped give these incredible kids another way to find their voice.

My heart is overflowing. 💙📸. .

06/24/2026

Day 2 of Camp Dragonfly…AMAZING! 💕

Day 2 - Self-Management
We started the day journaling our thoughts and feelings and then sped things up with some super fun team relay races of all kinds. This helps us learn how to work together to accomplish goals and to lean on each other for support.😊

We spent some time talking about healthy coping mechanisms. What activities help us self-regulate?

All the campers today had an opportunity to create three different types of fidgets: slime, worry stones, and glitter jars.

And we spent an hour learning breathing, meditation and movement through yoga.

We watched new friendships being born and a million acts of kindness today. What a great Tuesday🥰

Special thank you’s today:
Studio 8 Fitness - Stacey, your yoga helped campers and adults regulate today. It was fantastic!!!

Square One Eats & Treats - protein packed breakfast started our day in a healthy fueled way. Thank you for your gracious breakfast today!

Mike's Pizza and Catering - Pasta for lunch! We had kids going back for thirds🙌 It was a hit! Thank you for fueling our bodies for the rest of the camp day.

📸

06/14/2026

05/07/2026

I am beyond excited to finally share these with everyone! 📸💙
Because of the incredible support from so many friends, donors, and supporters of Camp Dragonfly Camera, we now have 74 cameras ready for campers to use and enjoy this summer. Seeing this dream become reality honestly leaves me over the moon with gratitude.
Thank you to every single person who donated, shared, encouraged, and believed in this project. Your kindness made this happen, and I truly can’t thank you enough.
From the bottom of my heart — THANK YOU. These cameras are going to help create memories, spark creativity, and capture so many special moments for our campers. 🏕️✨

05/06/2026

Trinity Health Cardio team: 💓
Photography: 📸
Ducks: absolutely not 🦆🚫.

04/25/2026

The tradition of keeping our environment clean continues, as we hit the road this morning for Waterford Township’s Earth Day cleanup. We collected 8 big bags of trash along Hatchery Rd, Williams Lake rd, and inside the wooded area by the airport, Waterford Township. Waterford Township,

04/24/2026

This is one of my favorite projects, photographing today's students and tomorrow's leaders. Thank you Waterford School District for letting me be part of this project with you. 🩵💚

🎓 It’s time to start celebrating the Class of 2026! Our latest billboard on M-59 West (near Exit 38/MLK Blvd.) is officially up and features two of our amazing graduating seniors, Miley Hooper (Waterford Kettering) and Geno Seets (Waterford Mott)! These students represent the hard work, talent and bright future of Waterford School District. 👀 Keep an eye out as you drive by and give them a wave. 👋

📷Credit: Photography by Mari

04/13/2026

I am so incredibly touched by this and by all of you who have already stepped in to help—thank you from the bottom of my heart.❤
We’ve made a great start, and now we’re working toward our goal of $3,150 to provide a camera for every camper. Each $45 donation puts a camera in a child’s hands for the week.
I truly believe in the power of photography, and I cannot wait to see the world through their eyes. Thank you for helping make this possible.

03/20/2026

So here I am doing a few head shots for the Macomb prosecutors and look what I see on the counter behind me 😁
Pete Lucido paid a visit to my Uncle Eddie 3 years ago on his 100 birthday. Pete was great with Uncle Eddie, he loves his veterans. ❤️
Uncle Eddie is going to be 103 April 8! I am looking forward to my visit with him later today.