On Sundays I write about someone that we can all recognize because of something that did or are doing. Taylor Schenker is such an individual.
Most of us are aware of the devastation that Hurricane Helene recently caused in the western part of North Carolina. Taylor Schenker saw this first hand and reacted in a special way.
From Epoch Bright:
“Twenty-seven year old Taylor Schenker was relieved her home in Canton was spared. She soon realized, however, that not everyone was so fortunate. Now, she is dedicating herself to helping others reconnect with their cherished memories. In the days following the hurricane, Schenker noticed a handful of photographs scattered in the debris. It sparked an idea, and she decided to collect them. Then she started searching for more. Pretty soon, she was combing a riverbank in her quest.”
As we are all aware pictures are memories. Memories of individuals who may no longer be with us. Memories of places visited. Memories of what one’s family was like many years back in time. Memories of pets. Memories of what little Joey or little Sarah looked like when they were toddlers. Often it is only through pictures that these memories are brought back to the surface.
Shortly after starting to find many unidentified photos Taylor Schenker decided to try to turn the proverbial lemon into lemonade.
“She launched a social media account called ‘Photos From Helene,’ both on Instagram and Facebook, to connect people with their lost pictures. She documented the lost pictures and posted them online, hoping somebody will scroll through the albums and recognize their lost pictures.
‘[These photos] represent so many memories that people can’t get back,’ Schenker told The Epoch Times. ‘For people who have lost everything, to be able to have that little piece back, I think, is really meaningful.’”
Baby pictures. Wedding pictures. Pictures of now deceased grandparents. Christmas pictures and birthday pictures that captured happier times.
Schenker cleans every photo before posting it online. Some pictures have mud or dirt on them, which she wipes off. She uses her thumb or a soft paintbrush to remove the dirt without damaging the picture.
With over four hundred photos collected, and half of them cleaned and posted online, Schenker shows no signs of slowing down. So far, about 15 to 20 percent of the pictures have been reunited with their original owners.
“I’m going to keep continuing the project as long as we keep finding photos, and they will stay safely organized in my office as long as they need to be,” she said.
Schenker may not know the story behind each picture that comes into her hands, but she never forgets that someone else does. As North Carolina recovers from the devastation of Helene, she expects to see more photos reunited with their rightful owners, and to have the privilege of being that person who can hug them and say, “I’m so glad you survived this … I’m so glad that you are here.”
Taylor Schenker basically stumbled on something that is now bringing some measure of happiness to those who have basically lost everything. Kudos to her.
12/15/24