Morgantown based boudoir photographer Natasha Sheme has done holiday fundraising campaigns through her business, Boudoir by Natasha Anne, in the past but in November 2021 she knew she wanted to do something a little bit different.
Sheme has lived in Morgantown for about three years after moving here from Washington, D.C., where she first started her photography business. Originally from Long Island, N.Y., Sheme said she started Boudoir by Natasha Anne because she wanted to blend her love of psychology with her love for artistry while inspiring women through body positivity.
A new family member reminded Sheme of something else she felt passionate about and a plan for her Boudoir for a Cause 2021 campaign began to form.
“Animals have always been a huge part of my life, you know, something I connect with,” Sheme said. “We just recently got a puppy in August. He is a border collie and he is just wonderful and I was thinking about how I could do something a little bit different.”
“I connected with these amazing women who run the Appalachian Peace Paw Rescue and I actually did a whole interview with them and we talked about their goals and their objectives.”
Sheme decided she would give those who made a $100 donation toward Appalachian Peace Paws Rescue a complimentary boudoir photo session certificate. According to Sheme, a boudoir session normally costs $499 plus tax.
Boudoir photo shoots can be intimidating for many women, but response to the campaign was huge, Sheme said. In total, $6,500 was raised for the pet rescue organization.
“A donation like this is a literally life saving and life altering opportunity for many animals who would otherwise probably die,” Appalachian Peace Paws representatives said. “It gives us the ability to say yes to a plea for help with a cat with a broken leg, to get emergency supplies needed to care for delicate bottle babies, to pull a dog off the euthanasia list at an overcrowded shelter.”
The small non-profit organization is run entirely by volunteers who said they get a lot of requests for assistance via email, Facebook and other social media, and even by people sharing their personal phone numbers. Many of these requests are for animals with serious injuries or life-threatening illnesses that need help right away to save their lives.
“These ‘impossible odds’ cases are some of our favorites for rescue because they really speak to our hearts,” they said. “But that emergency visit and follow up care can be quite expensive, especially if an animal needs an amputation or lots of medication to get well.”
While the organization does have some financial assistance through grants and other programs, they said almost all of their major medical and special case funds come from the support of animal lovers like Sheme and all the wonderful people who participate in fundraisers like this one.
Sheme and her clients are happy to help. “It’s been so wonderful. I know so many clients have told me they saw the promotion and they either have rescued dogs or, you know, whatever it is they connect to with that,” she said. “That is what made them take that step to invest in themselves and do something that, for a lot of women, is out of their comfort zone.
“I’ve been now connecting with the women, shooting the sessions that were booked off of that promotion and so many women have been so excited to be able to do both you know to give to this amazing cause, as well as themselves.”
On Saturday, April 9, Sheme is hosting a celebration event to present Appalachian Peace Paws with the $6,500 donation and to celebrate the opening of her new studio.
The event will take place from 6 p.m – 9 p.m. at the Forever Rose Room, West Virginia’s first selfie studio, located at the Morgantown Mall. Food from local businesses including the Cupcakerie, Baker Cheese Company, Cassandra’s Cookies and Kroger will be available as well as the studio’s fun selfie booths.
For Sheme, the event presents a host of opportunities for celebration and connections.
“I wanted to be able to first of all draw the attention to Appalachian Peace Paws Rescue and to their worthy cause as well as to Boudoir by Natasha Anne,” she said. “I just thought this would be such a fun opportunity to get all of my clients together who donated to this worthy cause as well as women in general from the local community.
“After COVID I know all of us have been just digital only and in person events – I know we are all craving that – so I just felt like it was so important to get together in person and to have this opportunity to talk about confidence, talk about going out of your comfort zone, doing something completely different and being able to give to this amazing cause.”
Anyone is welcome to attend the event however Sheme asks those who plan on joining the celebration to RSVP to the Facebook event Boudoir by Natasha Anne Celebration with Appalachian Peace Paws Rescue.
