Pictures Worth More Than A Thousand Words

For Immediate Release

November 18, 2009 Middlebury, VT—The Orton Family Foundation has created yet another way for residents of small cities and towns nationwide to celebrate the authenticity, character and spirit of their communities: a Heart & Soul Photo Contest!

The Foundation is challenging people to take up to five pictures capturing the cultures, landscapes, traditions or values that make their towns unique. Our first entrants have posted some great work to the Community Heart & Soul Group on Flickr, and we expect to see the contributions grow exponentially in the coming months.

Countless towns in America are suffering from a crisis of identity—the indiscriminate, rapid loss of the essential, inimitable qualities that keep a place from becoming Anywhere, USA. The Foundation believes that the only way to counter this trend is to turn traditional planning on its head and empower citizens to become the architects of their towns’ futures. This Contest is one step in a larger movement to nurture and revive community heart and soul and fundamentally change how land use planning is conducted throughout the country.

“All towns are valuable in different and important ways,” said Bill Roper, the Foundation’s President. “We’re excited to see how people choose to depict the heart and soul of their communities, because it is through the support and development of these core ingredients that towns become strong, viable and vibrant for years to come.”

The Contest entry period is open until January 5th, 2010. Finalists will be announced in late January, followed by public voting to choose the winners. The First Prize winner will be awarded a Flip minoHD camcorder, and two runners up will receive a gift certificate to B&H Photo/Video. We will showcase all finalists on our website and in the Heart & Soul gallery at the COMMUNITYMATTERS10 Conference in Denver, Colorado, October 5th through 7th, 2010.