2009 Toast to Hope Photo Contest Judges
A Panel of 4 Judges will Jury the Photos in SCAN’s Bringing Children & Families into FOCUS contest. Meet our 2009 Contest Judges:
1. Lloyd Wolf, professional photographer
Lloyd Wolf is an award-winning freelance photographer and educator whose work is in major public and private museum collections, and has appeared in The Washington Post Magazine, Ms., National Geographic Explorer, Mothering, The Forward, Elle, People, Vogue and many other publications. He received a National Endowment for the Arts grant in 1980. His documentary projects include coverage of a prison drug-rehab unit in Lorton Reformatory, the Moroccan Jewish community, the March of the Living in Poland, Holocaust survivor couples for Moment (which won a Simon Rockower award for excellence in Jewish journalism), Operation Understanding (on Black-Jewish relations), and "Grandma's House" - a program that cares for HIV-positive babies. He is currently collaborating with storyteller Carol Grosman on “Jerusalem Stories,” a peace and reconciliation project for Israeli Jews and Palestinians, with noted poet Sherri Shunfenthal on “Circles Within Circles,” and is chief photographer on the Columbia Pike Documentary Project. A long-term project, "Washington's Other Monuments," on the homemade shrines erected on the city's streets to victims of violence, was featured in the Washington Post Magazine, on NPR and numerous other media outlets. His books include Jewish Mothers: Strength Wisdom Compassion and Jewish Fathers: A Legacy of Love and Facing the Wall: Americans at the Vietnam Memorial. He has served as adjunct faculty at George Mason University, Shepherd College, and Northern Virginia Community College, taught photography to homeless youth in DC’s Streets To Skills program, and to immigrant teenagers in Arlington VA.
Learn more about Lloyd Wolf’s work at www.lloydwolf.com.
2. Gerald Martineau, Photojournalist from the Washington Post
Learn more about the Washington Post at www.washingtonpost.com.
3. Keith Garvin, News Anchor for Channel 4 News
Keith Garvin anchors the weekend editions of News4 Today. During the week he is a general assignment reporter and regularly fills in as an anchor on other broadcasts. Garvin is also a member of SCAN of Northern Virginia’s Board of Directors. Garvin joined News4 in October 2006 from ABC News, where he spent three years as a correspondent and fill-in anchor. During his tenure with ABC News, Garvin distinguished himself with solid, thorough reporting on high-profile stories, including the 2004 presidential election, hurricanes Isabel, Frances, and Ivan, Super Bowl XXXVIII, and the war in Iraq. Garvin was in Baghdad for the historic transfer of power in 2004 and then again several months later for Iraq's first free elections in more than 50 years. Garvin graduated from the University of Nevada, Reno, which he attended on a football scholarship. He played for the 1991 team, which still holds the record for the greatest comeback in NCAA history. Garvin and his wife, Lisa, live in Northern Virginia with their four daughters.
For more information on Keith Garvin, visit www.nbcwashington.com/station/about-us/Keith_Garvin.html
4. Christina Mark, SCAN Parent Education Participant & Volunteer
In 2006, while in search of a place where she could take her daughter to play and socialize with other children, Christina Mark googled the words “playgroup” and “Alexandria, VA." She didn’t have to search for long. SCAN’s playgroup was the first one to pop up. Initially, Christina began taking her daughter to the playgroup to provide her with a safe, fun place to play and interact with other children. However, when she got to know the playgroup leaders and the other parents, the group became special. She realized the significance of the playgroup not just for her daughter, but for her as a parent. Then, in 2007, the “Play, Learn & Grow Together” playgroup needed a new parent leader and Christina volunteered to co-lead the group with another parent. With her background in elementary education, Christina understood the positive influence of play for young children and the social and emotional needs that must be met long before they ever enter school in order to be successful in the learning environment. Christina adds that, “The playgroup is a place where children can soak in an abundance of social skills, and at the same time be exposed to diversity at an early point in their lives. My two children have been exposed to different cultures up-close through SCAN. Without SCAN, they might not have gotten the exposure until much later in life.”
For more information on Christina’s involvement with SCAN’s playgroups, visit www.scanva.org/snapshots_ebied-mark.htm
Each judge will select their personal favorite from among the finalists which will be named a winning photo. The four winning photos will be posted on FaceBook in mid-October for voting to determine the Grand Prize Winner!
