January is going to be a good month for these troops!

Jennifer Hayes & Jeremiah Thompson,

Very Respectfully,
Private First Class Lucas, Gene
United States Army

Jeremiah Thompson shooting calendar model Greicy

October 2, 2008
Missoula Independent Newspaper

Desire and a plane ticket to Florianopolis, Brazil—that’s all it took for Jeremiah Thompson, a Missoula dot-com businessman and amateur photographer, to realize a life-long dream. He’s become a swimsuit photographer.

Thompson flew to Brazil in January to begin work on the “Girls of Brazil 2009 Swimsuit Calendar.” Most of his subjects weren’t professional models, but rather women in bikinis who liked having their photos snapped at sunrise or sunset, some without payment.

“It was too easy,” Thompson says. “I wasn’t paying, I wasn’t a professional photographer, I wasn’t backed by a photography studio…but just about everyone I wanted to shoot photos of agreed to have photos taken.”

Those women will now provide an unexpected service: boosting morale in Iraq and Afghanistan. Thompson recently donated 5,000 calendars to troops abroad. To top it off, a percentage of the proceeds from every calendar sale supports injured soldiers through the nonprofit Wounded Warriors Program.

“He’s really got a heart for helping people,” says Jennifer Hayes, marketing manager for Thompson’s Floripa Calendar Project.

Thompson says supporting the troops was an important move. His dad is a retired lieutenant colonel and Thompson grew up calling the military home. He’s the only man in his family who didn’t enlist.

“I guess if my dad wasn’t in the Army, I wouldn’t have been exposed to that lifestyle growing up,” Thompson says.

Hayes says the project’s philanthropic aspect has attracted positive attention. PMG International, a periodical wholesaler in San Antonio, purchased 2,000 calendars for troops abroad. And although Thompson missed the February distributor’s deadline for 2009 calendar samples, Ingram Book Group, the nation’s largest publishing distribution house, said it’s definitely interested in 2010.

Philanthropy also has its perks. Thompson spoke to the Independent by phone from Aruba last week, traveling for business with his girlfriend, whom he met while working on the calendar.

“I think anyone can do it,” Thompson says. “It’s just a matter of buying a ticket, going down there and doing it.”

The models are happy with the calendar donation to the troops

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Amateur Photographer Donates Portion of Calendar Sales to Wounded Warrior Project

“Girls of Brazil 2009 Swimsuit Calendar” profits to help support and empower injured service men and women

MISSOULA, Mont., Sept. 10, 2008 — Within the next two weeks, thousands of soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan will receive an out-of-the-ordinary gift: their own personal copy of the “Girls of Brazil 2009 Swimsuit Calendar” (http://www.girlsofbrazilcalendar.com). The calendar’s photographer and creator, Jeremiah Thompson of Missoula, Mont., has put aside 5,000 free copies for the soldiers serving overseas. What’s more, Thompson is donating a portion of every calendar sold to the Wounded War Project (http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org), an organization that strives to support and empower injured service men and women.

“We are currently collecting soldiers’ addresses, and the calendars will go out within two weeks,” Thompson says. “We hope this gift brings a small bit of happiness to a monotonous and difficult place. When they look at my calendar, they won’t just see 15 breathtakingly beautiful women, but a reminder of my support for them as they serve in the line of duty.”

The “Girls of Brazil 2009 Swimsuit Calendar” was born out of a dream — Thompson’s desire to become a professional swimsuit photographer. When he traveled to Florianopolis, the capital city of the Santa Caterina State in Southern Brazil last year, he found himself shooting gorgeous Brazilian beach babes who loved to be photographed, even without compensation. Donating to the Wounded Warrior Program is Thompson’s way of “giving back.” The son of a retired Lt. Colonel, who served in the Army Corp of Engineers and several tours of duty in Korea and Germany, Thompson grew up in the United States military family. This upbringing fostered a deep respect for U.S. soldiers, their sense of honor and amazingly steadfast loyalty.

“I wanted to give some portion of my calendar sales to a worthy cause, and it was just natural for me to give back to the military based on my childhood experiences,” Thompson says. “I watched military men and women unselfishly give of themselves, and how their families supported and defended these soldiers alongside them. I can’t say enough about these people, and actions do speak louder than words, so that’s why I’m donating to the Wounded Warrior Project, contributing in a way that I can.”

Founded as a non-profit organization, The Wounded Warrior Project provides tangible support to service men and women, helping them heal both physically and mentally. It provides services and programs that directly assist the wounded and enable severely injured service members to aid each other. In additional, the Wounded Warrior Project raises awareness of and enlists public support for injured service members.

“The Wounded Warrior Project is effective because it gives these injured soldiers some hope,” Thompson says. “It inspires them to help themselves and each other, and this approach is vital to their lifelong success.”

For more information, visit http://www.girlsofbrazilcalendar.com.