THE MILE PROJECT

VISUAL STORYTELLING

COMPASS & LIGHT

Professional videography and photography services
that equip nonprofits to educate and inspire.

THE MILE PROJECT

PORTFOLIO

HIRE US

NEIGHBOR SERIES COMPASS & LIGHT NEIGHBOR SERIES

VISUAL STORYTELLING

FOR NONPROFITS

Professional videography and photography services
that equip nonprofits to educate and inspire.

PORTFOLIO

HIRE US

FOR NONPROFITS

Stories That Inspire

– WHO WE ARE –

We are a nonprofit organization that provides professional video and photography at affordable prices for charities. Whether a nonprofit is local or global, large or small, a church or a foundation, we exist to help share their stories and further their missions.

Learn More About Us

– OUR IMPACT –

500+
CHARITIES SERVED

1000+
VIDEOS PRODUCED

50
COUNTRIES FILMED

WE WOULD BE HONORED TO HELP TELL YOUR STORY.

silent.images

📷 Stories that inspire.
📍Charlotte, NC to the world.

U.S. Navy Lt. Greg Buck was assigned to Washington

U.S. Navy Lt. Greg Buck was assigned to Washington Navy Yard in Washington, D.C., where he spent the last 10 months providing military support for the presidential inauguration.

The day before Valentine’s Day, he returned home to his family.

Buck, a reserve member of the U.S. Navy, joined the Joint Task Force-National Capital Region (JTF-NCR) along with 800 service members during the inaugural period. Buck has served for nine years and lives with his wife, Katherine, and their two daughters.

“I’m just ready to get home, man,” Buck said moments before greeting his family. “It’s been a long journey.”

Substance use disorder defined over two decades of

Substance use disorder defined over two decades of Adam’s life. Those years were spent in and out of correctional facilities, and right before his last time in jail, his son was born — and Adam wasn’t allowed to see him.
It was his desire to see his son again that made him decide to get help.

“I wasn’t able to find the person who I was supposed to be,” Adam says.

Adam joined Charlotte Rescue Mission’s residential recovery program and received support as he learned to manage his substance use disorder. He’s been sober since, and has built his life around being the best father he can for his son.

“I wouldn’t trade it for the world,” Adam says.

Our team is always quick to get our cameras into t

Our team is always quick to get our cameras into the hands of growing storytellers, and this year we hope to do it again and again.

Last week our team held workshops for high school and college students where they met our founder, learned the basics of photography and took their cameras out into the community. Education is a core part of the Silent Images mission, and we’re excited to continue creating a hands-on learning environment for young storytellers this year!

James has spent his whole life calling Black Mount

James has spent his whole life calling Black Mountain, NC home. For 45 of those years, he’s lived in a small, charming blue house on the side of one of the mountains the town gets its name from. That house has seen the births of some of James’ children, years of chaotic family reunions and even survived a fire.

In September, it was nearly destroyed — again.

Like the majority of western North Carolina residents, James didn’t expect Hurricane Helene to cause as much damage as it did. In Black Mountain, the storm dumped over 20 inches of rain onto ground already saturated from consecutive days of rain, causing disastrous flooding and damage from fallen trees and high speed winds.

“Never seen a storm like this. Not here,” James says.

Water flowed down the mountain and underneath James’ home, completely destroying one of the rooms and some of the foundation. FEMA assistance helped James find temporary housing, but without insurance, he had no way to pay for repairs — until a local nonprofit stepped in.

The Fuller Center for Housing has been organizing teams of volunteers with nonprofits across the country to assist with disaster relief in western North Carolina. When they got in contact with James, they sent out teams working with Anglican Relief and Development Fund (ARDF) to help make necessary repairs to his home.

“I’ve never seen people come to the rescue of other people like I’ve seen people come here,” James says.

Despite the damage to his home, James feels grateful — grateful to have a home that can be fixed, when others have completely lost theirs. The support from The Fuller Center of Housing and ARDF has also reminded him that neighbors help neighbors in times of need.

“It has really amazed me how the people has come,” James says, “not just locally but from all around, just to come in here to help us — to help western North Carolina.”

A high school auditorium in Waxhaw, NC was full of

A high school auditorium in Waxhaw, NC was full of glittering snowflakes, fairies and flowers as part of a Charlotte nonprofit’s inclusive twist on a performance of “Nutcracker.”

A Chance to Dance exists to give individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities access to dance education and training in Charlotte. On Dec. 15, participants had the opportunity to showcase their skills during the organization’s holiday recital, “Nutcracker Twist” — its first-ever take on the classic “Nutcracker.”

By creating a safe and inclusive community where dancers can learn and build confidence together, A Chance to Dance provides artists with the opportunity to express themselves through dance — regardless of their abilities.

As we enter this intentional season of thanksgivin

As we enter this intentional season of thanksgiving, our team reflects on this past year with gratitude: for unexpected opportunities, challenges and changes, and stronger connections amidst it all.

Stories took us all over the world — from the Himalayas in India to the Appalachian Mountains in western North Carolina — and we look at this upcoming year with curiosity for which stories will find us next.

This is our 2024 story — thank you for being a part of it.

The storm hit the Swannanoa trailer park where Sar

The storm hit the Swannanoa trailer park where Sarge lived overnight in late September. By the next morning, his entire mobile home was submerged — and he didn’t know where to go.

“It’s my home. It’s all I’ve got,” Sarge says. “It’s the only thing I’ve got left.”

Just over a month ago, mountain towns in western North Carolina were devastated by Hurricane Helene — and the challenges of rebuilding from the destruction persist. Tap water is still not safe to drink, cell service is unreliable and the death toll continues to rise as businesses work to reopen and families repair their homes.

Nonprofits like the Anglican Relief and Disaster Fund (ARDF) are working daily to help locals start to rebuild their lives. Through its national network, ARDF connects churches and provides their partners with the resources necessary to facilitate relief efforts across the country. ARDF is mobilizing teams of volunteers weekly to serve alongside local churches and nonprofits in mountain communities, assisting residents with home repairs, organizing donations and connecting isolated neighborhoods with resources.

ARDF is helping Sarge get his home back. Through their support, he’s able to temporarily live in a camper on his property while volunteers re-install electricity, fix his plumbing and reconstruct his floors and walls. Soon, he’ll be able to live in his mobile home again.

“We’re getting help that we didn’t know would come,” Sarge says. “It’s just kind of overwhelming, the goodness of the people that have come to help.”

James Clay won’t let anyone other than himself m

James Clay won’t let anyone other than himself mow the lawn of the house his grandparents bought 73 years ago — four months before he was born in one of its bedrooms. He has lived there ever since.

Written in its walls are generations of memories that are sacred to James. The house is his safe space and he takes care of it — and when it started to fall into disrepair, he knew it was too much to fix on his own.

“There were days when I thought, well, it almost seems like the old house won’t make it too much longer,” James says. “And I was feeling bad because it was happening on my watch.”

When James first reached out to Greater Matthews Habitat for Humanity, they didn’t have the necessary funding to provide the repairs his home needed. But after months the nonprofit reached back out, and through their Critical Home Repair program, they were able to make crucial safety improvements to James’ home that he wasn’t able to do alone: installing air conditioning and heating, repairing the bathroom foundation and fixing the roof.

Greater Matthews Habitat for Humanity helped James save his family home — and he will never lose the pride he holds for that space.

“When I’ve walked through the house, I feel like a part of the American Dream,” James says.

By the time he was an adult, grief wasn’t new to

By the time he was an adult, grief wasn’t new to Christian. His father had died when he was a teenager, and by the time his brother died, he had already known the pain of losing someone. But it was this grief that led him to a substance use disorder.

“I just spiraled down badly,” Christian says.

After spending time in different rehabilitation and housing programs, Christian found The Harvest Center. The nonprofit’s residential program helped Christian regain some stability and start saving for an apartment, but when his grandmother died while he was in the program, he relapsed. But while Christian feared getting kicked out, his mentor offered unexpected encouragement.

“He just looked at me and said, ‘we got this. We’re gonna get you help and get you back on track,’” Christian says.

Through its 12-18-month residential program, The Harvest Center takes on a holistic approach to provide individuals and families experiencing situational homelessness with the tools they need to overcome trauma. The space to feel supported emotionally, gain financial independence and receive employment preparation within a safe community is critical to families like DeeDee’s, who graduated from the program with her daughters and was able to purchase her first home.

“We don’t have to turn around and look where we’ve come from, but just keep looking forward,” DeeDee says.

By investing in the lives of those experiencing situational homelessness in Charlotte, The Harvest Center creates a space for people to feel empowered to change their lives.

“I think to me that was my dark — everything before The Harvest Center,” Christian says. “And then my light was The Harvest Center.”

In a makeshift workshop on the side of a hill in a

In a makeshift workshop on the side of a hill in a rural North Indian village, moms, daughters and sisters spend their mornings measuring fabric and working the pedals of Indian sewing machines. Just beyond the walls, a colorful building and bright playground act as the site of the area’s only mental healthcare facility — where their family members are receiving treatment.

Mental health is often misunderstood in rural Indian communities, and individuals with mental illnesses can face isolation — and at times abandonment — from their families and communities. This results in a severe gap between mental health needs and care, according to Esther, a community psychologist.

“There is a high stigma about particularly mental health,” Esther says. “It’s considered as quite a lot of burden to have a mental health patient in the house.”

Samvedna Disability Resource Centre exists to provide individuals with disabilities and their families in North India with education, therapy and opportunities to increase their livelihood. In addition to providing healthcare and counseling to individuals in rural villages, Samvedna — which means empathy in Hindi — also coordinates workshops and trainings for the relatives of individuals with disabilities that prepare them for meaningful employment, such as artisanry, carpentry, gardening and livestock management.

By participating in sewing workshops, women in the local community can create clothing items that, once sold by Samvedna, can support them financially and encourage women in nearby villages to pursue employment.

“Samvedna brings in the hope for mental health for patients in different villages — whether it be a hilltop, whether it be a valley — bringing in hope to their doorstep, and letting them know that care is here and we care,” Esther says.

When the eastward-flowing Polochic River meets the

When the eastward-flowing Polochic River meets the biggest lake in Guatemala, the resulting connection creates one of the country’s richest — and most sustainable — ecosystems: the Bocas del Polochic Wildlife Refuge.

One of the most significant wetlands in Guatemala, Bocas del Polochic spans 51,300 acres surrounding the emptying of the Polochic River into Lake Izabal. The ecosystem formed is rich with nutrients and provides habitats to hundreds of species of animals, including manatees, monkeys, sloths and crocodiles. It also works as a filter — collecting nutrients, sediments and pathogens that flow into the river as a result of human activity in the surrounding valley — and catching them before they reach Lake Izabal and the Caribbean Sea.

The area has been protected by the Guatemalan government since 1996, and conservation groups like Defensores de la Naturaleza work to not only preserve the wetlands and the wildlife that inhabit it, but to also educate the surrounding communities on how to utilize its resources sustainably. Approximately 5,500 people — primarily indigenous Maya — benefit from the Bocas del Polochic ecosystem.

Visit @defensoresdelanaturaleza to learn more about conservation work throughout Guatemala.

Although she’s familiar with long hospital hallw

Although she’s familiar with long hospital hallways, Sheterikah Harris dreads any day she sees them — because whenever she’s inside in a hospital, she knows she won’t see her daughter for days.

Sheterikah has sickle cell disease, a rare blood disorder that causes red blood cells to become misshapen and die early or block blood flow throughout the body. A blockage can cause sudden severe pain — referred to as a sickle cell crisis — and result in hospitalization for weeks. When Sheterikah first became a mom, a crisis was more complicated than hospital bills and missing work: If she didn’t find someone to take care of Kehlani, she would risk losing her.

“At the time I feel like the walls are caving in on me,” Sheterikah says.

Alongside Families exists to take that weight off of Sheterikah’s shoulders. By connecting volunteers with at-risk families, the nonprofit provides isolated parents and their children with host families that can take care of their children while parents seek stability during a crisis, such as hospitalization or homelessness. This network of host families helps keep children out of foster care and families united.

Through Alongside Families, Sheterikah has found a community of host families who are ready to support her whenever she faces a health crisis. And within this community, she has found friends — ones who love her, who love Kehlani and who are committed to walking through life with Sheterikah.

“I feel like now that I have such a great community, I feel like I can change the single mother part to just, I’m a parent,” Sheterikah says.

Peeking through windows and behind curtains of a g

Peeking through windows and behind curtains of a government-run center outside of Nairobi are the smiling faces of children who, for the time being, call this white and teal building home.

Nairobi Children’s Rescue Centre serves as a safe place for Kenyan children who were orphaned, trafficked or exposed to unsafe situations in their original homes. The government-funded center exists to offer children under 6 years of age a space where they can receive intentional care such as counseling, play therapy and education in an environment that provides them with basic resources like shelter and food. The goal of the center is to help each child reunite with their family, or if that’s not possible, place them in secure, community-based homes.

As of 2023, there are more than 24 million children in Kenya, and over 3.5 million of those children are orphaned or considered vulnerable. The Kenyan government is making a significant effort to eliminate trafficking and provide resources for under-resourced youth through the investment in centers and organizations that support unhoused children. By connecting with local nonprofits, centers like Nairobi Children’s Rescue Centre receive support through donations and volunteers, whose time and care help create an environment every child needs: one full of play and love.

Each time a customer steps through the doors of Ca

Each time a customer steps through the doors of Cakeable Cafe on North Tryon Street, they briefly get to exchange their name for a new, more exciting identity: an animal. And instead of hearing a barista call out their name, they get to respond to an endearing “frog,” “giraffe,” or even “narwhal” when their drink is ready.

Cakeable Cafe is Cakeable Charlotte’s newest program: a coffee shop that employs individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, giving them the opportunity to gain transferable skills in a supportive and inclusive environment. Both the cafe and the bakery — which opened in 2019 — give people with disabilities and without disabilities the opportunity to work together and create community.

“Fundamentally, the way Cakeable impacts our community is that we have people with disabilities and people without disabilities working side by side to create a high quality product for our community,” says Cakeable’s Vocational Training Manager Amanda Jones.

Often, individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities struggle to find vocational opportunities outside of their school environments, and Cakeable exists to give people like Dominic Cianciosa exposure to professional skills that he can leverage in a different position. It also gives people like Amanda’s younger sister, Isabel Jones — who wants to be a barista — the opportunity to grow as an employee among a group of diverse and welcoming peers — and have her dream job at the same time.

“Cakeable is important to a lot of people because not everyone has a chance to be something they want to be,” Dominic says.

Our team is preparing to travel to Kenya, where we

Our team is preparing to travel to Kenya, where we’ll be spending the next week capturing the story of an inner city church and the local community that inspired its founding.

Mercy Nairobi is a ministry based in Kenya’s capital that consists of Mercy Nairobi Church and Mercy House, a residential shelter for women and children experiencing homelessness in Nairobi. We’re honored to join Carmel Baptist Church as their team serves alongside Mercy Nairobi in schools, children’s homes and Mercy House’s shelter, and we’re eager to capture the impact that Mercy Nairobi’s ministry is making in Nairobi.

This past spring, our team collaborated with Mesa

This past spring, our team collaborated with Mesa Global to capture storytelling content as they underwent their first major rebrand in over 75 years. We traveled to four countries across four continents to capture the diversity of how Mesa Global partners serve in their communities and the strength of their connections across nations and cultures.

Our team is grateful to have gotten a glimpse of Mesa Global’s work in Spain, Senegal, Thailand and Colombia, and we’re eager to follow along as they continue to raise leaders and connect communities throughout the world.

“At UrbanPromise, we believe stories are powerfu

“At UrbanPromise, we believe stories are powerful. Too often, stories told about our young people and communities do not center their brilliance, beauty, and strength. Silent Images is gifted in making sure our young people are cast as the heroes in their own stories, and it’s difficult to imagine anyone we’d trust to help tell the UrbanPromise story.”

UrbanPromise is dedicated to building a community of leaders in Charlotte by mentoring and creating relationships with youth, staying by their side from childhood until their mid-20s. We take every opportunity we can to serve UrbanPromise and were honored to create a series of videos for them in 2023 honoring their 10 year anniversary.

Check out our annual report and learn more about our work in 2023 by clicking the link in our bio.

A canal divides the capital of Belize into the nor

A canal divides the capital of Belize into the north side — where tourists lounge in resorts and hotels line streets — and the south side — an under-resourced, yet tight knit community of local Belizeans and immigrants. This is where Azulai lives with her mother.

We met Azulai while on assignment in Belize with Young Black Leadership Alliance, a nonprofit that empowers Black students through leadership, educational and service opportunities. While distributing bags of groceries throughout a south side neighborhood, the students stopped at the home of Azulai and heard her mother’s story.

Azulai’s mom lost her own mother right around the time of Azulai’s birth. As a woman in her early 20s raising Azulai on her own, she had to become the new leader of her family, providing for her brothers as well as her daughter. As more heads turn to her for support, Azulai’s mother has become their stable force in a demonstration of strength and resiliency — and a source of inspiration for those around her.

“It has been Cakeable’s joy to entrust our sto

“It has been Cakeable’s joy to entrust our storytelling to Silent Images. From the planning process to the interviews, filming, and production, it is apparent that the SI team is driven by a passion to honor & portray God’s image in every person on the screen.”

Cakeable exists to provide individuals with developmental disabilities an opportunity to work in a supportive environment and give back to their community. We recently produced a video for Cakeable that captures their impact on their employees and highlights the Cakeable Cafe, which opened this spring.

Learn more about the nonprofits we served in 2023 by reading our annual report. Link in bio.

Twice a week, Shamecia Collins opens her laptop at

Twice a week, Shamecia Collins opens her laptop at work to find 7-year-old Sophia smiling on her screen. She then spends the next hour of her work day teaching Sophia how to read.

Shamecia is both a Bank of America employee and a volunteer tutor with Augustine Literacy Project (ALP), a nonprofit dedicated to improving literacy among Charlotte’s students. Through its virtual tutoring program, ALP partners with schools and companies in order to make tutoring accessible for students and possible for employees who don’t work from home.

“I feel like I’m better for work the days that I do it because it’s just so filling,” Shamecia says.

Between their Tic-Tac-Toe breaks, Shamecia offers Sophia one-on-one assistance with reading and writing by guiding her through a research-based curriculum. In a city where only 40% of elementary school students can read at grade level, each one-hour session makes a lasting impact on a student.

“It is her whole life that we are helping to, like, mold at a very early age,” Shamecia says.

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