A Humanist First, a Photographer Second

Josh Dufresne is a talented photographer. His images of people – especially kids – capture their humanity.

You wonder why this 30-year-old Naugatuck native isn’t putting his trusty Canon Rebel to use as a professional. He could be earning a respectable living shooting weddings, portraits, sports events or whatever other subjects he chooses to tackle.

There’s a reason. Josh Dufresne is a giver. Everything in his life seems to be directed toward making life better for somebody else. Whether it’s driving “Miss Daisy,” an elderly neighbor to the grocery store or the drug store, assisting two developmentally disabled men at their home in Winsted, or traveling to Mexico and South Dakota on mission trips with Simply Smiles, Josh is dedicating his life to brightening the lives of others.

Why has he chosen this life of selflessness? Why is he taking altruism to a new level?

“People ask me that all the time,” he responds. “I guess I just like to help when I can. I just like being kind.”

His mother, Peggy Dufresne, offers a more detailed explanation. “He’s such an amazing young man and he seems to gravitate toward people who need help. He defines the need and matches it,” she says. “He’s a very gentle soul. He loves people, he loves animals.”

Indeed, Josh attended Nonnewaug High School (Class of ’99) in Woodbury because its curriculum offered subjects that could lead to a career as a veterinarian. But he encountered a problem along the way.

“I have a severe allergy to cats,” he says, “so that put an end to my becoming a vet tech.”

One can surmise that Peggy and Rick Dufresne are positive examples to all four of their children through their many activities at Naugatuck Congregational Church and at home.

Peggy points out that all of their offspring are engaged in professions that serve the public. The oldest, Jeffrey, is a firefighter in West Hartford, although “he got his start with the Naugatuck ambulance service.” Daughter Jenna teaches sixth grade at Hillside Middle School, and their youngest, Jillian, is a teacher at Rumsey Hall, a junior boarding school located in Washington Depot, Conn. “Jillian has co-led (service) trips to Mexico with Josh,” Peggy noted.

And then there’s Josh. He puts in his 40 hours a week in Winsted, where, as a residential instructor, he tends to the daily needs of two disabled men who live in a rented house. It’s a program funded by the state.

In his limited free time, Josh may found volunteering for Simply Smiles (www.SimplySmiles.org), a Fairfield County-based nonprofit that provides food and builds homes for the impoverished in Mexico’s poorest state, Oaxaca, and at the Cheyenne River Sioux reservation in South Dakota.

Oaxaca (pronounced Wah-ha-ka), located in the southern portion of the country and bordering the Pacific Ocean, is roughly the size of New England. Its stunning beauty – from mountains and valleys to cloud forests and pristine beaches – is marred by the abject poverty in which most of its inhabitants exist.

In the capital city of Oaxaca, there is an orphanage, Casa Hogar Benito Juarez Children’s Home, where it is said, “Many of the children who live there are economic orphans. Their families are unable to care for them.”

In early July, Josh made another weeklong service trip to Oaxaca, this time as an adult advisor for the First Church Congregational of Fairfield’s Senior High Youth Group. The church’s associate pastor, the Rev. Jennifer Habetz, has become an admirer of Joshua Dufresne, volunteer and photographer.

“We met in 2008 through our connection with Simply Smiles,” she says. “Josh is incredibly gifted as a photographer. He has an ability to connect with people. It’s directly related to who he is as a human being … gentleness, a deeply compassionate person.” 

In Oaxaca, the group of 11 high school students, two college students and four advisors spent much of their time constructing walls for a watershed and building a bathroom for students in a school. They also played tag and soccer with youngsters and prepared a meal for villagers in Santa Maria Tepexipana.

Josh was in his early twenties and working as the registrar at the Silver Lake Summer Camp and Conference Center in upstate Sharon when he was asked to put his photographic skills to use for the first time. He shot photos of each group of campers.

When did he realize that he possessed talent as a photographer?

“When people there told me they liked my pictures,” he responds with a chuckle.

Thus encouraged, Josh purchased an expensive camera, which he proceeded to carry with him on one of his early service trips to Mexico. “Somebody was playing with it and the flash broke. It wouldn’t work again.”

So, he’s been making do with the more modest Canon Rebel. Making do? No, that’s understating the case.

See for yourself.