Exciting things are happening in Palm Beach

The Palm Beach Photographic Center is one of those non-profit organizations the world needs more of. It's a photography school, a museum, a store and a place where every photographer who steps through the door can feel at home.

This year, the Great Give will be on May 5 and 6 from 5 p.m to 5 p.m.and the Center is participating. For those of you who don't know what Great Give is, it's an 24 hour online event for raising as much money as possible for non-profit organizations.

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The funds that are going to be raised during this event will be used for some major upgrades at PBPC, including sound systems and lighting and framing for the museum. The museum by the way is a free community arts resource and throughout the year it hosts world class photography exhibitions that are supported entirely by donations.

Speaking of donations, the money every photographer will donate during the Great Give will have more power than on any other day of the year. The gifts will be matched by pool funds raised by the Community Foundation and the United Way.

We've become accustomed to showing and enjoying photography almost exclusively online. Everybody has a personal gallery somewhere, a Facebook page or a website. We share every photo we take with potentially millions of people, and that's a great thing. But not only do we do it excessively, we also enjoy photography physically a lot less than we used to. Photography exhibitions are some of the best experiences that come with pursuing this passion and it would be great if more young photographers would realize it.

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Also, no online training or class will be as effective as learning in a classroom. The Photographic Center has a lot to offer for photographers in Palm Beach County, and it's only fair for the community to give back and help.

And helping isn't all that hard either. Even spreading the word about The Great Give means a lot and you can do it in more ways than one.You can tag PBPC in some of your social media posts and using hash tags #GoFundPBPC for #GreatGive15. The Center will be generating social media content for the duration of the event, including live photos and memes from their instructors.

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There's also the more simple method of sharing their Facebok page and letting people know about the donation.

A lot of cool events will take place during the 24 hours at the Center. The kick off will start with a "Hot in Havana" party in the PBPC Museum with live music, cocktails and other fun stuff. OnMay 6there's going to be a Classic Pin-Up Photo Shoot at Ragtops Motorcars - a vintage car museum with live pin-up models.

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That and a more will be happening at PBPC onMay 5 and 6, so if you happen to be in the Palm Beach area, make sure not to miss anything.

As far as the donations go, even as little as $10 will be of great help to the Palm Beach Photographic Center, so if it's not going to be a major sacrifice, be kind enough to chip in.

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