Wednesday, May 31, 2023

NGS and Vivid-Pix Announce Family Matters Community Outreach Toolkit Lending Service

RICHMOND, VIRGINIA, UNITED STATES, DATE May 31, 2023

NGS and Vivid-Pix Announce Family Matters Community Outreach Toolkit Lending Service

Today the National Genealogical Society (NGS) and Vivid-Pix announced the launch of an equipment and software lending service for their Family Matters Community Engagement Program. The Family Matters program combines NGS’s vast membership with ready-to-use solutions from Vivid-Pix and NGS to assist families and loved ones with their family history pursuits.

Public interest in family history is at an all-time high. Yet, an imbalance exists between that interest and the public’s understanding of genealogy and family history research and tools. Family Matters is designed to increase family history education and programming by inviting new audiences through the doors of family history societies, libraries, archives, and museums.

The Family Matters Community Outreach Toolkit combines the Vivid-Pix Memory Station™ (scanning hardware, and software that improves images and captures stories), with turnkey marketing and education materials. “The Toolkit provides organizations with the tools needed to connect with the public and attract new audiences to the wonderful world of family history,” said Rick Voight, CEO of Vivid-Pix. 

“The opportunities for genealogy and family history organizations to expand public programming are unlimited,” said Matt Menashes, CAE, executive director of NGS. “With this equipment, software, and educational programming, genealogy organizations can open the world of family history to new audiences including youth groups, community centers, senior living facilities, and local business organizations.”

“Recording and sharing our life stories become more important as we mature. In addition to providing education to assist all individuals in sharing their stories, we are particularly pleased that genealogy organizations can help teach caregivers how to use family history and photo reminiscence to support loved ones with memory loss,” said Voight. “Organizations can provide programs that teach family and professional caregivers how to use photo reminiscence to improve connectedness and quality of life for loved ones experiencing cognitive loss.”

NGS member organizations can borrow equipment via an online request form. NGS will ship the Vivid-Pix Memory Station™ directly to those organizations. They only need to pay for return shipping. Vivid-Pix will supply software and training materials via download. NGS organization members can participate in this program immediately and begin to plan for when and how to take advantage of this new partnership.

Information and video about the program are available online.  


About Vivid-Pix
By inventing and harnessing technologies, Vivid-Pix helps individuals, families, friends, and organizations with their most treasured memories. Vivid-Pix solutions help family historians and caregivers use Photo Reminiscence Therapy to assist persons experiencing cognitive decline and dementia. Vivid-Pix patented software has been sold in over 120 countries, improving old, faded photos and documents.

About NGS
Founded in 1903, the National Genealogical Society (NGS) inspires, connects, and leads the family history community by fostering collaboration and best practices in advocacy, education, preservation, and research. We enable people, cultures, and organizations to discover the past and create a lasting legacy. The Falls Church, Virginia, based nonprofit is the premier national society for everyone, from the beginner to the most advanced family historian.

Media contacts

Name: Matt Menashes, Executive Director NGS
Phone: 703-525-0050
Email: mattm@ngsgenealogy.org

Name: Rick Voight, CEO Vivid-Pix
Phone: 404-664-9897
Email: rick.voight@vivid-pix.com


Friday, May 26, 2023

MyHeritage Offers Free Access to Military Records This Memorial Day

 At MyHeritage, we believe it’s our duty to preserve every family story, and that responsibility takes on added significance as we pay tribute to the brave men and women who gave their lives to safeguard our freedom. In honor of Memorial Day, we’re offering free access to all 83.1 million military records on MyHeritage, from May 25–30, 2023. 

MilitaryRecords_Memorial_753 x 423

Our 65 military record collections include draft, enlistment, and service records, pension records, and military biographies from various countries around the world, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and many more. These records can reveal a wealth of information about your ancestors, such as their rank, unit, date of enlistment and discharge, physical characteristics, and even their next of kin.


Please share this news with your friends and encourage them to take this opportunity to explore our military records for free and uncover the stories of bravery and sacrifice in their own families.

 


Enjoy,


Daniel Horowitz 

Genealogy Expert