DETROIT – The award-winning program Pictures of Hope will give children, ages 7-13 living in COTS, the opportunity to change the lives of pets in care at Michigan Humane.

On August 20 at 10:00 a.m., the children will be surprised with cameras and go off as young photojournalists with an important mission – to capture the dream of a shelter pet to have a loving home. The children will meet at Michigan Humane, 7887 Chrysler Drive, Detroit, MI 48211 where Ms. Solomon will provide a photography lesson to the participants.

“Pictures of Hope is devoted to giving children an opportunity to share their heartfelt hopes and dreams in photographs. The camera now is life-changing when the children capture a pet who dreams for a loving home. We hope all the children and pet’s dreams come true,” said Linda Solomon, photojournalist and author and founder of Pictures of Hope.

“Michigan Humane is proud to partner with Linda Solomon and COTS to inspire children to share their love of pets through photography. Pictures of Hope gives children the platform to not only share their personal messages, but shelter animals through their eyes,” said Michigan Humane President & CEO Matt Pepper. “We believe in the power of the human-animal bond and the joy pets bring to our lives. That’s why we are committed to pet adoption and providing support to keep families together, including our Safety Net Foster program that helps COTS families with short-term foster care for their pets so they can be reunited.”

“The Pictures of Hope project is vital to COTS for many reasons. It offers our children valuable opportunities to explore new interests, potentially sparking passions and future careers while fostering a sense of hope and connection during times of housing instability. Additionally, it bridges the missions of COTS and Michigan Humane, as housing stability is foundational for both organizations. Homelessness is traumatic and stressful for people and for pets. For pet- owning families, being forced to give up a beloved pet adds to this burden. We feel it is important to highlight the challenges faced by both families and pets. This project offers hope through creative collaboration and broad awareness,” said Cheryl P. Johnson, COTS CEO.

“Ralph and I have always admired Pictures of Hope, and the great accomplishments Linda Solomon and her foundation have achieved over the years, benefitting children in homeless shelters throughout the country.

We are especially excited to participate in this particular Pictures of Hope program benefitting two terrific shelters, COTS for children and families and Michigan Humane for rescue animals. It doesn’t get any better than that,” said Karen MacDonald Basile.

Greeting cards will be created with the heartfelt photographs of the pets captured by the children. Karen MacDonald Basile and Ralph Basile have made it possible for 100% of ALL the proceeds from the sales of the cards to benefit COTS and Michigan Humane.

The children will be mentored by noted community leaders on their photo assignment. The children’s Pictures of Hope will launch at an exhibition party on September 27.

Committed to Keeping Families Together

Michigan Humane’s Safety Net Foster Program provides foster care of owned pets while their owners are temporarily unable to care for them due to life emergencies. Realizing the important role pets play in families’ lives, Michigan Humane is partnering with COTS to help families stay together. Critical to this program is growing the foster volunteer base. To learn more about becoming a Safety Net foster, visit michiganhumane.org/safety-net-foster/.

About Linda Solomon
Linda Solomon is an award-winning photojournalist and author. Linda has devoted her career to teaching children how to express their feelings through photography. She has founded educational photography programs that have reached over 1 million children. Linda’s new book, The Queen Next Door ARETHA FRANKLIN An Intimate Portrait is available on http://www.lindasolomonphotography.com

About COTS
COTS is a private Detroit-based non-profit organization that provides emergency shelter, supportive housing, children’s services, and additional comprehensive support services for families experiencing and at risk of experiencing homelessness. COTS creates and facilitates opportunities for families in poverty to collaborate, thrive, and succeed in building strong and stable households, neighborhoods, and communities. Through its Passport to Self-Sufficiency(TM) and a network of broad partnerships, COTS assists families in reaching their housing, economic, health, education, and career goals as they overcome homelessness and break the cycle of poverty for the next generation and beyond. COTS is also the first organization certified in Mobility Mentoring®. This economic mobility coaching approach further enhances COTS’ ability to support hundreds of families working towards economic self-sufficiency and create stabilized environments for a multi- generational impact on families. cotsdetroit.org

About Michigan Humane
Michigan Humane, founded in 1877, is the oldest and largest nonprofit animal welfare organization in the state. Michigan Humane is dedicated to helping the animals of southeastern Michigan, whether in our shelters, our veterinary clinics, or out in the community. Michigan Humane operates six facilities dedicated to caring for animals and their families throughout metro Detroit; adoption partnerships with Premier Pet Supply, Petco, and PetSmart; and a Cruelty Investigation Department and a Statewide Animal Response Team. Learn more at michiganhumane.org.