Community Leader Believes in Giving Back to Less Fortunate

Alicia Dal Lago helps Crisis Center North provide assistance to victims of domestic violence

By Vanessa Orr

Twenty-nine years ago, Alicia Dal Lago moved to the United States from Argentina and began to live the American dream. A successful photographer, she has dedicated herself to helping others do the same through her association with numerous charitable organizations, including Crisis Center North (CCN).

“I don’t know how a person can live in a community and not give back,” said Dal Lago. “I have received so much, I have been so lucky, that I need to give back.”
Dal Lago, who owns a portrait studio in Wexford, built her own business from the ground up, and through fundraising efforts and scholarships, has helped others in their quest to succeed. “When I first moved to the states, I had no experience in photography,” said Dal Lago. “I didn’t have a permanent work visa, so the only thing I could do was go to school. Photography seemed like something fun.”

Dal Lago fell in love with the profession and soon began entering her work in local art shows. “I won lots of awards, which made me decide that what I really wanted to do was have a photography studio,” she said. “I first started taking portraits of little babies, and those kids grew up to be high school seniors. Now, I’ve photographed generations of families.”

Dal Lago’s art background, combined with a willingness to collaborate with her subjects, helps her to create unique and memorable portraits. “We work together,” she said of her clients. “I know what I want, but I’m flexible enough to make that work with what the client wants.”

And her record speaks for itself. “I’ve photographed more than 8,000 sessions, and some people I’ve photographed more than 20 times,” she said.

Now a Certified Professional Photographer, Photographic Craftsman and Master Photographer, Dal Lago has never regretted her decision to enter the field. “I am one of the luckiest people in the world,” she said. “In 21 years, I have never said that I didn’t feel like going to work. The studio has been a huge part of my life, in fact, my two sons called it my ‘third child.’”

Since she opened Alicia Photography in 1986, the studio has grown to include two more certified professional photographers, one of whom is also a Master Photographer. Dal Lago has also received accreditation as the only photographer in Pennsylvania, and one of only 17 in the country, who have been trained to photograph special-needs individuals.

Dal Lago’s dedication to her craft, and to her community, is demonstrated in everything she does. Since 1987, she has asked patrons for a new toy donation instead of a sitting fee, and collected more than 3,000 toys for North Hills Community Outreach. The studio has also donated gift certificates for sessions and portraits to numerous charities to be used as auction items. The Alicia Photography Scholarship, established in 2000, has provided more than $21,500 in funds, and enabled 16 women to graduate from college, and 40 individuals to seek higher education.

“Alicia is a gift,” said Grace Coleman, executive director, Crisis Center North. “She really believes in the possibility of every human being, and she transforms people’s lives by removing the barriers in their way.”

Dal Lago, who serves as the Executive Council secretary for the Center’s board of directors, became involved with the nonprofit, which serves as a counseling and educational resource center for victims of domestic violence, after hearing one of its members speak at a meeting. “When I came to the states, I thought it was paradise,” she explained. “After hearing the speaker, my eyes were opened as to what was happening behind closed doors.”

Dal Lago’s fundraising efforts have helped the Center, which was founded by Dee Walk in 1978, to provide numerous counseling, legal advocacy and educational services. More than 2,000 domestic violence victims are helped each year, with an additional 10,000 people served through prevention and education programs.

Programs provided for domestic violence victims include assistance in finding food, housing and employment, individual and group counseling, and workplace, legal and medical advocacy. “We’ve recently introduced a new program that connects victims in hospitals to the court system through a videoconferencing system,” said Coleman. “Now victims don’t have to make a choice between seeking immediate medical attention, and going to court to get a Protection from Abuse (PFA) order. They can get a PFA right from the hospital.”

Crisis Center North also has more than 75 active volunteers who staff a domestic abuse hotline 24 hours-a-day, as well as contribute in many other ways. “We have a volunteer seamstress who alters gently used business clothing so that women who come to us can have appropriate clothes to seek employment,” said Coleman, who added that CCN has one of the largest domestic violence volunteer corps across the state. “Any talent a volunteer has, we’ll put to use.”

Including all of Alicia Dal Lago’s talents. “People usually cringe when you talk about fundraising, but Alicia looks at it as an opportunity to make a difference and to change people’s lives,” said Coleman. “She is so passionate that she motivates everyone around her.”

For more information about Alicia Photography, call 412-366-3632. For more information about Crisis Center North, call the Hotline at 412-364-5556 or plan to attend the Glass Slipper Ball on February 24 at the Sheraton North in Warrendale, which provides much-needed scholarship funds for the organization.