Hearts Apart
Children of a service member holding an American flag together.

Connecting families through deployment

The people they love,carried close to home.

Hearts Apart gifts deploying service members a no-cost professional family portrait, printed on a durable, waterproof wallet card they can carry with them wherever duty calls.

Become a Volunteer

Our Mission

A tangible reminder of home.

Hearts Apart strengthens and preserves family connections during military deployments by providing service members with professional photographs of the loved ones waiting for them at home—offering comfort, encouragement, and a lasting connection through every stage of deployment.

Our keepsakes are printed on durable, waterproof bi-fold cards designed to fit securely inside a uniform pocket, ensuring that the faces of family, children, spouses, and loved ones remain close through every mile, every mission, and every moment away.

Every deployed service member deserves a tangible reminder of the family, friends, and community standing beside them—even from thousands of miles away. The keepsake isn’t just a printed photo—it’s a constant reminder of why they’re serving and who’s waiting for them to come home.

Our Story

Born in North Carolina.
Carried across the country.

Hearts Apart began quietly in North Carolina, home to Fort Bragg, Camp Lejeune, Cherry Point, and Seymour Johnson Air Force Base. It started with a simple mission: photographing military families before their loved ones deployed, giving service members something lasting to carry with them.

Word spread the way it often does in military communities—through spouses, chaplains, commanders, and friends. Soon, photographers from across the country began asking how they could serve.

Today, more than 400 volunteer photographers donate their time and talent through Hearts Apart, ensuring military families nationwide can receive these portraits before deployment. What began in one state has become a nationwide network of volunteers united by a single purpose: keeping families connected, no matter where duty calls.

A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

A military family of four standing together at golden hour.

How It Works

A simple promise, fulfilled one step at a time.

01

A family is matched

When a service member is preparing to deploy, their family requests a Hearts Apart session and is matched with a volunteer photographer.

02

A volunteer photographer serves

One of our 400+ volunteer photographers donates a professional portrait session — at no cost to the family.

03

The portraits become a keepsake

Selected images are printed on a durable, waterproof bi-fold keepsake card, designed to fit securely inside a uniform pocket and withstand the journey ahead.

04

Home goes with them

Through every mile of deployment, the faces of the people they love remain close — a reminder of home, hope, and the family waiting for their safe return.

A soldier and his family — a wallet-sized photograph meant to be carried through deployment.

The Wallet Card

Designed to weather everything but love.

Each keepsake is printed on a durable, waterproof, tear-resistant bi-fold card, precision-sized to fit inside the chest pocket of a military uniform.

It isn’t meant to sit on a shelf or hang in a frame. It’s meant to be carried—through long days, changing climates, countless miles, and every moment in between. Over time, the edges may soften and the surface may wear, but the faces it holds—and the love they represent—remain as constant as ever.

Volunteer Photographers

Lend your craft to a family preparing for goodbye.

If you can hold a camera and a steady moment, you can give a deploying service member something they will carry every day of their tour.

What You'll Receive

  • 01

    Choose sessions in your area

    We match families nearby so you can give back close to home.

  • 02

    Donate one session, or many

    Commit at the level that fits your schedule and craft.

  • 03

    Print fulfillment, handled

    We turn your portraits into waterproof wallet cards — free of charge.

  • 04

    Join a national network

    Stand alongside 400+ photographers serving military families nationwide.

Apply

Sign up to volunteer.

Tell us a little about yourself and we'll be in touch with sessions near you.

Why Donations Matter

Every gift sends a family home with them.

Your contribution covers the printing of waterproof keepsake cards, the materials that get them into uniform pockets, and the quiet logistics that make each session possible. Photographers give their time. Donors give the rest.

A gift of any size

Hearts Apart partners with Givebutter for secure, transparent giving. 100% of your donation supports our mission.

Donate Now

Press and Recognition

In the news.

Selected mentions and recognition of our work alongside military families.

01  /  LAist

For military families, Hearts Apart makes memories that can survive anything

Read →
03  /  Video interview

Hearts Apart featured on Facebook

Watch →

Contact

We’d love to hear from you.

Whether you’re a military family, a photographer, or simply want to help — reach out. We answer every message personally.

Email us

brownieharris@heartsapart.org

Our Story

Click here to learn more about the History of Hearts Apart

Portrait Sessions

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