Sales of Student Portrait Packages Generate Additional Funding For Cash-Strapped Schools

Ann Arbor, Michigan – May 13, 2009 – SchoolPictures.com (www.SchoolPictures.com), a provider of stress-free school picture days that generate thousands of dollars for schools, today announced in the four years since its founding it has donated more than $2 million to Michigan schools that have used its unique portrait services. This milestone validates the company’s mission to supplement funding for education and improve the academic environment for children while providing parents and students with high-quality, affordable pictures.

Money contributed by SchoolPictures.com is generated from the sales of student portrait packages. Since launching in the fall of 2005, SchoolPictures.com has accepted a fixed fee for each purchased photo package and given the remainder of the cost of these packages directly to the school. During the past four school years, the company has photographed hundreds of thousands of students and donated an average of $7.50 per student enrolled to each school.

“We’ve helped schools purchase tens of thousands of books, new lighting for theaters and gyms and new sound systems. One school installed outdoor playground equipment using in part their SchoolPictures.com payment, and another was able to pay the salary of a part-time media specialist,” said Skip Cerier, president of SchoolPictures.com. “When you hear what some of these educators are spending the money on, it gives you goose bumps knowing that our company is really making a difference in these children’s lives. That’s been our goal from the beginning, and clearly we’re succeeding.”

Motivated after seeing local districts pinched by public funding cut-backs and ever-increasing fixed costs, Cerier, a parent of a school-age child, looked to find a way to assist communities in providing a quality educational environment for students. Cerier, who was working as a photographer shooting graduation portraits, saw a previously untapped way to generate additional money for schools – through annual school portraits. The business model for SchoolPictures.com was then developed with a group of four retired school principals who had witnessed decades of disorganized pictures days that offered no financial benefit to the school. In addition, the company’s scheduling procedures and policies were designed to take the burden of organizing picture day off of school employees, while its online ordering process, the first to be offered by an educational portrait photography company in Michigan, simplifies purchasing photos for parents.

“We congratulate SchoolPictures.com on reaching this landmark in contributions. Eisenhower High School is proud to have been among their first customers,” said Amber Bronson, activities director at Eisenhower High School. “Some of us were frankly skeptical when the company presented its ideas to us, but the results truly speak for themselves. Not only have our picture days become consistently efficient, with children returning to class after a relatively short time, but the whole process has been effortless for our staff. Most importantly, our partnership with SchoolPictures.com has been a significant boost to our budget. Through the donations received, we’ve been able to purchase equipment such as microscopes and host events such as a state-wide student council conference and a senior class picnic, none of which would have been possible prior to the hiring of SchoolPictures.com.”

About SchoolPictures.com
SchoolPictures.com provides stress-free school picture days that generate thousands of dollars for schools. Its mission is to generate high-quality, easy-to-order photos while supplementing funding for education and improving the academic environment for children. Designed with the direct input of a group of four retired school principals, SchoolPictures.com’s unique business model enables the company to accept a fixed fee for each photo package purchased and to donate the remainder of the cost of the package directly to the school. Since its founding in 2005, SchoolPictures.com has presented schools with more than $2 million in total contributions. In addition to student portraits, the company offers school IDs and customized photo yearbooks. A privately held company, SchoolPictures.com is based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. More information is available at www.SchoolPictures.com.

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