By Mitch Kloorfain

Chief Photographer

On my third anniversary as a photographer with the Hometown News, my car hit a milestone, too. The odometer registered 100,000 - all miles spent traveling between Hobe Sound and Fort Pierce in an effort to capture moments and preserve history. If you travel 100,000 miles, you might expect to tell friends and family that you've visited exotic places like Thailand, Nepal or Marrakesh. I'm here to tell you that those exotic locations can't hold a candle to the people and events I've been able to experience and share along the Treasure Coast during this last three years and 100k journey.

Passionate about photography since way back when cameras still used film and a dark room involved chemicals and red lights and paddles, I was thrilled when Tammy Raits and Steve Erlanger asked me to join the Hometown News family, which, at the time, was only five papers strong. A transplant from New York, I'd been a Treasure Coast resident for eight years, so I was sure I had completely explored the area and would be perfect for the job. I also thought it would be easy. After all, I'd been asked to cover Martin and St. Lucie counties and I already knew my way around every movie theatre, bowling alley, ballpark and restaurant - what more could there be to capture of life on the Treasure Coast? I only had to put a few miles on the odometer to find out I knew absolutely nothing.

Looking at the world through a camera lens can be a great eye-opener. During the past 100k, I've been introduced to nonprofit organizations whose primary goal is to care for children and be their voice in a world of people who are much bigger than they. Through organizations like Big Brothers Big Sisters, Children's Home Society and the Boys and Girls Club, I've learned how important it is for a child to have an adult mentor; a friend who guides and laughs and helps make navigating this great big world a little less scary.

During the past 100k, I've fallen in love and had my heart broken at least a hundred times by orphaned kittens, playful puppies, and loving creatures lovingly cared for by the Humane Society of the Treasure Coast, Hobe Sound Animal Protection League, and several independent animal rescue organizations that open their doors and hearts to our four-legged friends who have no voice at all. Before joining Hometown News, I was unaware of their important role in the community. If even one of my photographs has helped make you aware too, my 100k journey will have been worth every mile.

Growing up in New York, I was blessed to have been able to experience original Broadway productions of Chicago, Pippin, The King and I, Grease, and many others. Again, I didn't think I'd see anything new when covering theatre on the Treasure Coast. Was I ever surprised to find organizations like Shiloh, StarStruck Productions, and the drama departments in both Martin and St. Lucie County School districts! More than once I've found myself watching a performance through the viewfinder with my jaw dropped on top of the tripod.

Sometimes, I'm lucky enough to see the first act of a heart-stopping show at one theatre, then add a few more miles to the odometer and catch the second act of an equally impressive play at another venue. If you've never experienced a school's theatrical performance or caught one of the local high school sporting events, even if you don't have family ties to anyone involved - you're missing an exceptional opportunity. Go as a member of the community just looking and you'll be amazed at the level of talent and the ability of the area's education professionals who cultivate and develop that raw and boundless talent.

And it's not all about theatre and ball games, either. The school systems offer unique programs to help educate students in so many areas - way beyond reading, writing, and arithmetic. In my 100k journey, I've watched as children become young adults who are educated in dance, theatre, music and sportsmanship from the first day of class. I've gone on field trips, watched kids discover the joys of reading, and been there to share the excitement when a goal is reached, a milestone marked, or an achievement celebrated.

Over the past 100,000 miles, I've often thought about which moment was the highlight, the one that captured the personality and energy of the Treasure Coast best for me. While there are lots of special moments and memories I will carry through the next several hundred thousand miles, there is one in particular I'd like to share. In August 2004, I received about 20 calls in a five-minute span to alert me to a pod of dolphins that had beached themselves in Fort Pierce. I was in Fort Lauderdale photographing a competition involving Treasure Coast athletes. I don't usually travel that far, but it was a special event and I wanted to share it with the Treasure Coast.

I packed up my equipment and put the car on autopilot, making the trip in record time. I stopped just long enough to pick up my wife and, after a few wrong turns and a sun that set far too quickly to accommodate good photographs, we found a beach crowded with scientists from Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute and hundreds of volunteers who'd also heard about the dolphins' plight, too. I watched people selflessly share their time and energy to shuttle heavy buckets of water from the shoreline to the dolphins, who were more than 20 yards away. As instructed, volunteers poured water on the dolphins to keep them wet, being careful not to get any in the blowholes.

There were more than 30 dolphins and for 10 hours, until almost 2 a.m., five volunteers per dolphin continued this marathon of love. Some had driven from as far south as Palm Beach and as far north as Brevard County to share their time and energy in what we all hoped would not be an exercise in futility. The efforts ended when the HBOI team made the decision to euthanize all but the four dolphins that were strong enough to survive the trauma. And even though hauling those buckets of water, each one heavier than the last, multiplied by the hours of shuttling them uphill to where the dolphins lay suffering, made for some very sore muscles the next morning, I don't think I'll ever stop being moved by the memory of people coming together so unselfishly.

Of course there are hundreds of other organizations and events and millions of moments that I've tried to capture during the last 100k; each with its own personality and style - the style that has made my love and commitment to this area, and my job bringing it to you in pictures, even stronger. I look forward to sharing your community events and milestones during the next 100,000 miles.

Now, if I could just remember where I put my car keys.

Mitch Kloorfain is chief photographer for Hometown News.