The Waldo Canyon fire destroyed more than just homes, it burned memories.
For Sun Lilly, owner of Sun Lilly Photography and founder of Waldo Canyon Fire Photographers, it’s those that meant the most.
“A lot of people lost a lot of their memories and a lot of their treasures, and that has to do with photos,” Lilly said. “They’re going to be temporarily staying at other places while their homes are being rebuilt, and we wanted to make their new place feel like home by offering them free family photos.”
Twelve photographers have signed on to be a part of the program, which offers family photo sessions to those who lost their homes. All of the photographers have experience in family portraits.
“We want to give them something private, something memorable, and be there if they want to talk about the event or about their loss, or be there just to keep them happy and not have to stress about what’s going on,” Lilly said.
The program will offer prints to families at no cost, and also aims to reach out to victims of the fire in other ways.
“We don’t want these families to pay for anything,” said Lilly. “We also understand that these families don’t have enough money to rebuild and refurnish their homes. We’re hoping to get donations of gift cards, and we want to be able to offer them a gift card during their photo session.”
So far, several families have spoken to Jenny McCarthy, assistant photographer, about their interest in the program, but the photo sessions haven’t yet started. It’s a process, Lilly said, that will take time.
“We don’t want to force anybody, we want to wait until they’re ready,” she said.
This program hits close to home for Lilly, McCarthy and many of their neighbors, who were evacuated from their homes when the Waldo Canyon Fire smoldered out of control.
“It felt like a movie to me,” said McCarthy. “I got on my roof to watch, and I literally was seeing the fire hitting houses. I just cried and cried. I couldn’t even move.”
After the evacuation, Lilly and her family stayed at Cheyenne Mountain High School. The Red Cross and Salvation Army were there offering assistance, and the community offered immense support and many donations, she said.
“The kids, it was like summer camp for them,” said Lilly. “It was good, in a way.”
Neither Lilly nor McCarthy lost their homes in the fire, but both know families who have. As their community rebuilds, they both hope to help with the emotional recovery.
“It’s been a heartbreaking thing and I hope we can give these people all their memories,” said McCarthy. “They’ve lost a lot of treasures in their homes and we want to give them a new treasure.”