Picture Day Fall 2026

Every child deserves a portrait that says, "I was here, I was loved, and I am worth remembering." This Fall event,  The Blue Ribbon Project's Foster Friends Program is opening the studio doors for our fall Picture Day, a free, unhurried photography session created just for the children and youth in foster care we serve across Maryland. From new haircuts and favorite shirts to big smiles and shy grins, this is a day when every young person gets to feel like the most important person in the room.

A Portrait Day Built Around Our Kids

Picture Day is one of the most-loved traditions inside our Foster Friends Program. It is not a fundraiser, not a public event, and not a photo shoot with a rushed conveyor-belt feel. It is a warm, welcoming afternoon designed entirely around the children and youth we serve, with a generously donated professional photography session by Joshua Hubbell of Single Handed Arts. He provides a comfortable studio setup, and a small team of our Leadership Team members are ready to help every young person feel calm, confident, and celebrated.

So many children in foster care move through life without the everyday keepsakes that other families take for granted. A framed portrait on the wall. A wallet-sized photo tucked into a grandparent's purse. A picture magnet on the refrigerator. Foster Friends Picture Day exists to change that, one smile, one printed portrait, and one child at a time.

What Makes This Event Special

Our Fall Picture Day carries the easy, sun-warmed spirit of cooler weather. Kids arrive in their favorite outfits, straight from the playground or a fresh trip to the barber, ready to be seen exactly as they are. There is no dress code and no pressure to pose "just right." Joshua is experienced, patient, and beautifully kind with children, especially those who may feel shy in front of a camera.

Each young person receives a free professional photography session and a printed portrait is provided later for them to keep. Foster parents, resource parents, kinship caregivers, and siblings are warmly invited into the frame when the child wants them there. Solo portraits, group portraits, silly outtakes, and quiet candid shots-every version of that child is welcome.

What Every Child Receives

• A free professional photography session donated by Joshua Hubbel of Single-Handed Arts
• The photos will be provided, free of charge to youth and families after processing
• Digital copies are coordinated through members of The Blue Ribbon Project's Leadership Team
• A relaxed, kid-friendly studio environment with snacks and comfort items
• The chance to include their special people: foster family, siblings, or a trusted adult

Why This Matters

Portraits are memory anchors. They tell a child, "Someone saw me. Someone thought I was worth photographing." For children and youth who have experienced disruption, that message carries a weight that is hard to overstate. A photograph is not a solution to anything they have lived through, but it is a small, tangible piece of evidence that they matter, that they are loved, and that this moment in their childhood was worth preserving.

Many of the young people we serve have never had a professional portrait taken. Some have very few photos of themselves at all. Foster Friends Picture Day quietly closes that gap.

Registration and Coordination

Foster Friends Picture Day is an internal, non-public event. Registration flows through the Department of Social Services and CASA partners who are already working with each child and family. Foster families, resource parents, and kinship caregivers should watch for outreach from their caseworker or CASA volunteer with sign-up details and time slots.

If you are a caseworker, CASA volunteer, or resource parent and have not yet received registration information for a child in your care, please reach out to The Blue Ribbon Project directly, and we will ensure your family is included.

Thank You to Our Photographer and Volunteers

None of this would be possible without the generosity of the professional photographer, Joshua Hubbell from Single Handed Arts, who donates his time, talent, equipment, editing hours, and printed portraits, and without the generosity of our volunteer Leadership Team who help greet families, entertain little ones, and keep the day running smoothly. Every hour donated becomes a memory that a child will carry for the rest of their life. Thank you.