Sundog Serves

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but how can we make it worth a lot more for the underprivileged people and needy animals in our communities? I think I have come up with a few ways! Let me tell you about them, from the beginning...

A few years ago, I started Sundog Logistics to develop new aerial imaging capabilities that would fill a gap between drones and very expensive mapping aircraft. It's been challenging if not the hardest thing I have ever tried to do, and definitely still a work in progress. When I was approached by my business club about partnering with its non-profit foundation to be able to provide charitable work for the community, I was intrigued and excited. But also confused. My career in aerial survey has mostly served business and government interests, and the camera system I am developing would likely do the same.

How does someone with my particular set of skills help a community? I dwelled on it for a while and then remembered something from a couple years back... during my R&D test flights I always liked to take shots of the city and of things going on around town. I took a LOT of pictures of buildings, bridges, events, etc. Some of those pics included Chiefs, Royals, Current, and Sporting games. One day a friend of mine that works at a non-profit foster agency in KCK asked if I would be willing to donate a print of one of my shots to their upcoming charity auction. I thought that was a great idea. I chose one of my favorite shots depicting Arrowhead stadium immediately after the Chiefs scored a touchdown and went to have it printed and framed.

The 20x20 inch print, professionally framed with sleek black wood, Chief-themed matting and museum glass, was stunning. I had never seen one of my photographs printed that large - the detail was amazing. But that frame was EXPENSIVE! It was a shock, but I was excited to be able to offer it to the auction. One experiences some suspense and stress waiting to find out how their artwork does at an auction. When the results came in, I was thrilled to learn that my print was the most bid on and highest bid item for that portion of the auction! It sold for hundreds more than what I spent. What a great feeling! The investment I made turned into even more for money for the foster agency. Warren Buffet would be proud.

On a separate occasion, a friend that works in real estate asked if I would be willing to donate something to a charity event her brokerage was hosting. I couldn't afford to donate another framed print, but since I was actively conducting flights for system testing, I thought I would offer the experience of going up in the air on a photo flight. The winning bid exceeded the cost of operating that flight and went to benefit the charity. The winning bidder got to plan a custom photo flight over the city and use my camera system to capture some incredibly high-resolution digital photographs. It was an exciting experience for him. In fact, every time I have taken someone up on a photo flight, I have heard things like "amazing experience", "cool experience", and even "best experience of my life!" (I was hoping for his sake that he wasn't married).

More recently, I had a chance to connect with the founder of a KC non-profit that supports the development and sustainability of thriving communities in Kansas City’s urban core. She works with families, including children and young adults. Some of her work involves teaching these kids to see their world through a different lens - one that is not solely focused on the limitations they experience in the inner city. She wants them to learn new skills and see their world from a different perspective - one that lets them dream of a different outcome and believe that achieving it is possible.

We talked about offering classes to groups of older kids and young adults where they would learn the basic principles of photography and be able to photograph their communities. At the end of the class, they would get an opportunity to apply their new skills in the airplane - going up on a photo flight to not only see and photograph their home from a different perspective, but to see the world around it and be able to capture images of whatever inspires them. I remembered back to when I got to go up on my first flight and got shivers thinking about how I could give a young person an even more impactful experience because instead of being based on fun it would be based on purpose.

Although my business goals will be targeting the data/information aspect of aerial imagery my experience has taught me there is more social value connected to some of the other things I am able to do. These other things will be the focus of Sundog Serves - the part of my company that will work to provide benefit exclusively to charitable non-profit entities in the Kansas City region.

Where do you come in? While I have demonstrated that my stunning photography and personal photo flights can generate needed funding for non-profits and intensely meaningful experiences for young adults, I have also come to realize that I can't afford to solely offer my products and services on a scale that would be truly impactful to our community. But YOU can help!

Your tax-deductible donation to Sundog Serves will allow me to increase the number of large, framed prints and personal photo flights I am able to offer to local charitable fundraising events. It also will let me establish photography classes for underprivileged youth and young adults.

My promise is to work to maximize the impact of your donation so that we can achieve an amplifying effect at charity fundraising events where the funds raised exceed your original donation. I will do this by keeping production costs as low as possible while maintaining a high-quality product. Additionally, I will come up with innovative ways to promote the exclusivity of the items you help sponsor for auctions, including providing a guarantee in perpetuity that no framed print won at a charity fundraising event will ever be offered for sale at a price less than $100 above the winning bid. These efforts aim to increase bids by letting bidders know that the items they bid on are not only unique, but price-protected so that their investment in them will never be undercut.

So what charities are you supporting by donating to Sundog Serves? It could be all of them! Every.org only lets me select up to 8 causes. Currently I have selected animals, environment, adoption and foster care, athletics, housing and homelessness, poverty alleviation, and youth. In reality, any reputable charity in the Kansas City region could be a beneficiary of your donation. However, if you have a specific charity or cause you would like to support, please email me at serves@sundogLGX.com to discuss.

While any donation amount is very appreciated and will be applied thoughtfully, I have set recommended amounts to match the individual costs of the items I will be working to produce: Framed print $350, personal photo flight $265, photo class for one individual $380. These amounts have been adjusted to account for the 15% administrative fee required by the non-profit foundation under which I operate. Matching a donation to one of these amounts will not only allow your donation to be applied towards the item you choose but also allows me to provide personal recognition of your generosity (with your permission).

Thank you for your generous support!

Carl