Bristol Bay Native ‘family portrait’ connects shareholders as pandemic isolation persists

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - The Bristol Bay Native Corp. got creative with a project designed to keep shareholders more connected with their community during the isolation of the ongoing pandemic.

Bristol Bay shareholders can now use a digital platform to share photos of themselves and their families with the rest of the community.

Kala Wilson, the communications specialist at BBNC, said the idea was to collect pictures from their shareholders to create a massive family portrait of sorts. After reaching out to members, they received more than 700 submissions that now make up what the corporation’s website calls the “largest ever BBNC shareholder family portrait.”

“Being able to see them post their family photos and their selfies, and seeing the tags, and the comments and the mentions. I mean a lot of us are related, we’re family, we are friends so not being able to see each other was really hard,” Wilson said. “But being able to see shareholders connect virtually when they couldn’t see each other was really special.”

Those who visit the collection will find images that range from selfies to family photos that include shareholders of all ages.

The collection provides a visual cross section of a community that’s been forced, due to the pandemic, to isolate this past year. The platform holding the “family portrait,” provides a way for Bristol Bay shareholders to see their friends even when they are unable to visit one another.

Copyright 2021 KTUU. All rights reserved.