Saturday's Home for the Holidays Event to Benefit STEP 2

Home for the Holidays

Lisa Cook has an eye for beauty... and a talent for capturing it behind her lens.

"The meaning of life is to find your gift and the purpose of life is to give that gift away."   

And that's exactly what Lisa has been doing for

STEP 2

for several years now. She photographs some of Reno's most beautiful homes for the local non-profit's annual fundraiser.

"I want the photos to be very natural. I want to photos to look like peoples' homes and I want to do the homes justice because the homeowners work on these homes; this is something dear to them."

    

And this year - Lisa's capturing the Christmas theme of another... decked out with a candyland kitchen and Santa's workshop. The south Reno home is ready for hundreds of visitors to admire this weekend during STEP 2's Homes for the Holidays.

"Homes for the Holidays is a wonderful event; it's our biggest fundraiser. Without it STEP 2 could not survive."

    

Five elegant homes will be open to see and the decorating has been months in the making as has Lisa's job behind the scenes.

    

With the support of her employer -- Swag - Blue Moon, which is a locally-owned printing, promotional and web development company -- she snaps the photos for STEP 2's program and designs its theme all free of charge.

"These people live in this community and they're opening their doors for STEP 2 and it's a great cause."

    

STEP 2 is committed to bettering the lives of families in our community by helping women get back on their feet after addiction or abuse. STEP 2 just launched its capital campaign to expand its residential facilities. Every year STEP 2 reunites hundreds of kids with their mothers. And its recovery success rate surpasses 60%. Plus, 100% of the funds raised during "Homes for the Holidays" will stay in Northern Nevada.

    

Just another picture-perfect reason Lisa is involved.

"I will always stand behind STEP2."

Thanks to STEP 2 for inviting me back to emcee the homes for the holidays kickoff party.

And if you'd like to take a tour of the homes, you can buy your $40 ticket online or at one of the STEP 2 ticket centers.