Evanston Present and Future will hold the “Capturing Moments: Teen Parent Photo Session” event on March 9. At the one-day free event, young parents will be able to take family portraits with their children.

Kemone Hendricks, the founder and executive director of Evanston Present and Future, said she wanted to organize an event for teen parents in the community to come together.

“I always remember one thing that I really wish I had more of was really amazing pictures of me and my daughter when she was growing up,” Hendricks said.  

Hendricks founded Evanston Present and Future, a nonprofit aimed at helping underserved teen parents in the Evanston area, in 2020.

She said she started the organization to fill a gap she noticed when she had her daughter at 16 years old. 

“We know we have a lot of things to offer for the babies of teen parents,” Hendricks said. “We’re all about breaking the cycle when it comes to teen pregnancy.”

The organization will partner with local businesses for the photo session, according to Hendricks. Local makeup artist Coco Chatman will do makeup for the parents, and they can choose to have their hair styled by Ikandi Hair Studio prior to the photoshoot.

Photographer Annette Patko from Bordeaux Studio will provide professional photography services for the event. 

After the photo session, teens can choose to participate in an aromatherapy self-care workshop, called “Making Yourself a Priority.” The workshop will be led by motivational speaker and wellness workshop facilitator KaIyah Allison.

Allison will lead the parents through creating a custom scent with essential oils and work with them on building self-care and coping skills. She said she wants the teen parents to understand they are together and not alone.

“The first process in healing is self-love and self-care,” Allison said. 

Evanston Present and Future received a special projects grant from the Evanston Arts Council to help bring the event to life.

Krista Fabian DeCastro, the vice chair of the Arts Council, said the special project grants are meant to give funds to a new idea or project that has not been done before. The fund is meant to be “more open and accessible” than its Cultural Fund Grant Program.   

According to DeCastro, the special project grants are open to individuals and organizations, whereas the cultural fund is only for organizations. It also has a “much simpler” application, and the grants are given on a rolling basis. 

Leading up to the event in March, Hendricks said she looks forward to providing a self-care day to teen parents. 

“I’m super excited,” Hendricks said. “I think overall, it’s going to be an emotional day for me … it’s really something I have kind of dreamt of seeing.” 

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