In Loving Memory of Paul Deane

Paul was a talented photographer with an eye for style, creativity, and capturing moments and people, often overlooked by others. He created showcasing imagery for many small businesses, realtors and captured people living their unique lives, through his lens.Paul’s empathy and compassion for people also led him to working as the Caretaker of the George Schmidt Centre located at Kinghaven Treatment Centre where he had the opportunity to share his experiences and support for men transitioning from treatment to community living.

Paul cared deeply about people and had the gift of allowing people to feel seen, from all walks of life, without judgement –– he accepted people for who they were and when you were in his company, you could be your authentic self and that is what made him extraordinary.

Paul lived his life fully and completely, on his terms, sometimes connected within communities often stigmatized against mental health and addiction.

For this reason, Paul’s family has chosen the Hope in Shadows Society as an aligned memorial tribute that lies in true alliance with what Paul stood for:

Live and let live, do not judge, opportunities for marginalized people and meaningful work and self-determined creative opportunities through the art of photography.

May we end stigma from behind the lens in Paul’s name.

Donations in Paul's memory can be made on this page and will go towards supporting people facing poverty, inadequate housing, substance use and other marginalizing barriers as they participate in the 2023/2024 Hope in Shadows photo contest and sell the 2023/2024 Hope in Shadows calendar to earn a meaningful income and challenge stigma with beautiful photos and stories of the community in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.

On behalf of Hope in Shadows Society, thank you for supporting our work to change the story on poverty in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside by honouring Paul's memory in this way. 

If you would prefer to begin a monthly donation, please click here to visit our monthly donation page. 

Please note: All donations are tax-deductible as Hope in Shadows Society is a charitable organization. A tax receipt will be issued for your donation. Charitable Registration #888360104 RR 0001). 

About Hope in Shadows Society

Hope in Shadows Society (Megaphone) is a non-profit organization based in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside that supports people experiencing poverty, inadequate housing, substance use, physical and mental illnesses and other marginalized barriers by providing meaningful work and self-determined creative opportunities. 

What is the Hope in Shadows Photo Contest and Calendar?

Every spring (for the past 20 years!), Hope in Shadows hosts short photography workshops and distributes over 100 single-use cameras to people from Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. Photo contest participants are given one week to take their camera and capture award-winning images of their community that express that year's community chosen theme (past themes have been 'celebrate', 'spirit and resilience, 'this is our home', etc.). 

How the Hope in Shadows photo contest works:

Over 1500 photos are submitted to the contest and a community jury composed of past photo award winners, staff and sponsors narrow submissions down to the Top 30 photographs. Over the summer a public vote is held at various community centres and markets to choose the Top 13 winning photos to be featured in the Hope in Shadows calendar.

About the Hope in Shadows calendar:

The Hope in Shadows calendar launch and photo contest award ceremony takes place in early October and is highly anticipated in the community. First-place winners receive a $500 prize and their award-winning photo is featured on the front cover of the calendar. 

How the Hope in Shadows calendar makes a difference:

Megaphone vendors purchase Hope in Shadows calendars for $10 and sell through street-level commerce in Vancouver and Victoria for $20, keeping the change. Over 7000 Hope in Shadows calendars are sold annually by Megaphone vendors alongside the monthly Megaphone magazine to earn a meaningful income. Since Hope in Shadows began in 2003, over $1.3 million has been put directly into the pockets of low-income community photographers and Megaphone vendors.