It’s Shout Out time! Recently I have come to know a very talented photo restoration artist by the name of Janine Smith. She has dedicated her life to not only restoring photos but also to researching, recovering, and documenting history. Now, in my book, that in itself is pretty darn cool. If you have ever tried restoring photos then you know it takes a TON of work! So please also know that adding on anything extra – let alone something as time taxing as research and documentation – is a tremendous feat within itself! But does she stop there? Not at all! Janine is also a highly active and valued volunteer for a program called Operation Photo Rescue. If you check out the site, you will read that "OPR’s mission is to repair photographs damaged by unforeseen circumstances such as house fires and natural disasters at no cost to the people who own them."

Janine quotes: "Volunteer work is important to me, in fact it’s part of the Code of Ethics I adhere to as a member of APG (Association of Professional Genealogists). I have volunteer work in both aspects of my business, Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness (RAOGK) for genealogical side, and Operation Photo Rescue (OPR) for the restoration side. I’m very passionate about OPR as it helps restore precious family photos to people devastated by natural disasters, and also speaks to the need to digitize your family photo collections!"

Oh and remember that "very talented" part? See for yourself -

Talent, dedication, drive, and heart. You really can’t ask for more than that. So this week’s loud and proud Shout Out goes out to Janine Smith!! If you would like to see more of Janine’s work or get in touch with her you can do so by visiting http://www.landailyn.com/ a research and restoration company that she herself founded.