- November 26, 2024
-
-
Loading
Loading
The perfect shot takes patience. It doesn’t take minutes; sometimes it takes hours. Sometimes, an entire day’s work doesn’t yield a single photo. Palm Coast photographer Jennifer Kaczmarek is on the hunt for the right glance, the right expression, the right moment.
Kaczmarek couples art with service through her nonprofit organization, Taking Focus Inc. Her latest project: documenting the struggles of a family whose lives were overturned in the wake of medical troubles, which escalated until they lost their income, their autonomy and their peace.
They’ve been living without income and miniscule state and federal support for two years. How? They don’t know. They made it work; they had no choice.
But they’re more than a year behind on the rent for their Palm Coast apartment. Until recently, they had no car. Kaczmarek wants to change that, believing that if her photos can show the pain and love involved in this struggle, people will come to know the family. Photos invite a relationship, and that relationship prompts people to help. That’s the goal.
A string of bad luck
The Vanhoutte family’s trouble started when, in September 2011, Alison Vanhoutte felt severe back pain. It got so bad that when she did the dishes, she had to lean against the wall to fight the pain. Eventually, she went to a doctor and learned that she had two nodules wrapped around the nerve roots on her spine.
Doctors said there wasn’t anything they could do about them; they’re too close to Vanhoutte’s spine. Her pain grew as time passed and more nodules appeared. At last count, she had seven, but that was more than a year ago.
Today, she can barely stand. Her husband, Kendall, had to quit his job because she needs a full-time caregiver. They receive $426 each month in unemployment benefits and they’re on food stamps. But for a family of five, that’s nowhere near enough.
The worst part, Alison Vanhoutte said, is the isolation. As her family’s troubles escalated, she stopped wanting to talk to anyone. She felt defeated; her husband felt useless without a job, and money was fast depleting.
Then, one day, Vanhoutte called Kaczmarek, a long-time friend, and told her everything. She still doesn’t know why she did it.
Kaczmarek knew right away she was going to help the Vanhouttes, and she decided to do so through Taking Focus Inc.
Taking Focus
Taking Focus grew from one of Kaczmarek’s former projects, Love for Alyssa, in which she used her documentary-style photography to tell a moving visual story of a girl born with a rare disease that prevents her from using her arms and legs. Kaczmarek photographed Alyssa and featured it in a gallery last year to raise money for her family. The project has been featured nationally, including on CNN.
Eventually, Kaczmarek hopes to have enough photos of the Vanhoutte family to do the same kind of gallery. Until then, she’s supporting them however she can. She comes over to their apartment whenever possible, not just to take photos, but also to spend time with the family.
To Vanhoutte, the connection with a friend is the most valuable help.
A couple of weeks ago, Alison Vanhoutte was having a bad day. She’d had a bad fall and the whole family was shaken up. Her kids were crying.
Then, Kaczmarek came over. All they did that night was sit in the living room and talk about '80s music, but that slice of normalcy did much for the Vanhouttes’ spirits.
“It just took everything away,” Vanhoutte said. “We were all sitting around thinking my health was getting worse, and if (Kaczmarek) hadn’t come over, we would have been sitting around all night thinking about that.”
Kaczmarek also encouraged Vanhoutte to open up to other people in her life about her struggles. Since then, the local community has come together to help meet a need they hadn’t otherwise known existed.
“The thing about this story,” Kaczmarek said, “is it could easily be my family, or yours. It can happen to anyone, but people are willing to help.”
A member of Trinity Presbyterian Church, where Kaczmarek is a deacon, donated a car to the Vanhouttes. Before, they had no way to get to doctor appointments or to buy groceries. They found rides from neighbors when they could, but otherwise, options for transportation without a vehicle are few.
“I couldn’t even speak that night,” Vanhoutte said. “To think someone would give us a car — I was speechless.”
How to help
The Vanhouttes are looking into telecommuting jobs for Kendall Vanhoutte, to bring them sustainable income.
In the meantime, Kaczmarek is organizing a family nature walk in support of the Vanhoutte family. It’s partially about raising money, but it’s also about bringing the community together to show support.
The walk is at 9 a.m. April 20 and starts at 800 S. Daytona Ave. To participate, email [email protected] and visit www.takingfocus.org to donate a minimum of $20.
Walkers can also register by mailing a check made payable to Taking Focus Inc. to P.O. Box 351025 in Palm Coast, or with cash or check the morning of the event.
“Working with (Kaczmarek) has been a wonderful experience,” Vanhoutte said. “It’s brought so much positivity to our whole family, when we hadn’t had much for two years. We feel like a weight is lifted off us.”
