Recently I had the privilege of teaching the basics of photography to a group of military spouses. How did this come about? I volunteered through Citizen Soldier Connection - a non-profit that is committed to supporting our local troops by bringing the military community and local community together in friendship. They sponsor events like golf outings, meals with community families during the holidays and classes among other things.

I’ve been behind the camera for many of the events and outings that CSC does by producing a video for them a few years ago so I was very familiar with what it is they do. They offer some really fun opportunities for active duty military and their spouses like basic car care classes at a local auto repair shop, music classes through the Colorado Springs Conservatory and the latest class is basic photography. Some of the spouses wanted to just learn to take better photos of their families while others were aspiring to learn a trade that could help bring in additional income.

The class was very basic—in some cases just learning what the various controls on the camera do. But the dozen participants enjoyed it enough that they will be adding a level II class sometime in the future. CSC is always looking for interesting ways to connect the military with our community. I know my friends at Autosmith really enjoy their car care classes they teach as they’re going on their 3rd year of helping spouses know what to do with the car when their spouse is deployed.

If you would like to volunteer with Citizen Soldier and offer a class through your business or volunteer in other ways CSC would love to hear from you. Just click this link to visit their website and learn more about volunteer opportunities working with our troops and their families.