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The story behind the photo: Oliver’s gift of hearing
When photographer Jeni Bernatz needed to find a few children to pose for a photo with Kiwanian Sue Cox, it wasn’t an easy task. Finding parents who give permission for their children to be photographed come few and far between in a hospital setting.
So, the women headed outside to see who they could catch in front of the hospital.
That’s when fate stepped in.
Shannon Wolff was just arriving at the Rady Children’s Hospital with her children, Oliver and Roxy, when she was approached by Sue and Jeni. When Wolff heard the purpose of photo shoot—to profile Sue’s career as a nurse and her countless hours serving children through her Kiwanis club—the family jumped at the chance to help out. After all, the Wolffs are connected to Kiwanis in a very personal way: Oliver received a cochlear implant when he was just 6 months old thanks to funding from the Kiwanis Club of El Cajon Valley, California.
“It was a special moment to realize how our effort fundraising for our son’s cochlear implant surgery and the Kiwanis club’s generosity came full circle at being at the right place at the right time,” says Wolff. “I believe it was meant to be for Oliver (and Roxy) to be in the picture with Sue when honoring her work with Kiwanis.
“We had such a positive experience fundraising for Oliver’s surgery, and gained a renewed faith in humanity through the outpouring of support. Oliver got just what he needed, and we all gained a lifelong relationship with the people who enabled him to get the surgery and gave him the gift of hearing.”
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