There are over 435,000 children in foster care in the United States.
Over 110,000 need adoptive homes right now.
About 20,000 age out of foster care every year, at age 18 without
anyone, to live on their own, unprepared and unsupported.
Can you change the life of a waiting child?
Can you adopt? Can you foster? Or maybe you can start a Heart Gallery or volunteer for one?
 Look Below!
What is the Heart Gallery?
The Heart Gallery is a traveling photographic and audio exhibit created to find
forever families for children in foster care. The Heart Gallery of America is a collaborative
project of over 80 Heart Galleries across the United States designed to increase the number
of adoptive families for children needing homes in our community.
Now, in its sixteenth year, the Heart Gallery model is being replicated in many communities
across the country. Although many of our children were removed from abusive and neglectful
situations, they still have hope. They love to laugh, to learn, and to be with their friends.
Most of all, they dream of finding a forever family to be their own.
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Photos That Change People's Lives (click below for video)
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Video courtesy of Heart Gallery Tampa
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Muncie Star Press, Exhibit, Friday, March 23 to Friday, April 6, 2018 9am to 5:30pm
The Indiana Heart Gallery, a traveling photo exhibit featuring portraits of children in need of adoptive families, will be on display March 23-April 6 at Minnetrista, Indiana State Fairgrounds Harvest Pavillion
1200 N Minnetrista Pkwy, Muncie, IN 47303
The goal of the Heart Gallery is to increase awareness of the DCS foster youth available for adoption and encourage the community to learn more about the foster to adoption process.
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Facebook, Posting, Saturday, April 7, 2018
What a fun day! Today Adams County Human Services hosted the Colorado Heart Gallery photo shoot. 20 great kids were photographed by amazing volunteer photographers like Monicophoto.com. Would you be interested in parenting one of these amazing kids? For more information about foster care or adoption please attend our upcoming information meeting on Saturday April 7th, 2018.
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Pinellas-Pasco Heart Gallery, EventBrite, Tuesday, April 10, 2018 6:30pm to 8pm
Please join us for an evening dicussion on why teen adoption is important and necessary sooner rather than later. The evening will consist of a brief program highlighting a teen in local foster care and a family success story. We will then have a panel discussion and community discussion. There will be various agencies available to speak with you about teen adoption, mentorship, and community support. Event emcee and panel moderator is Al Ruechel.
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Lutheran Family Services of Virginia, Block Party, Saturday, April 14, 2018 11am to 2pm
Where: Newport News Park, Shelter 19
13560 Jefferson Avenue, Newport News, Virginia
Meet with local adoption and foster care agencies to learn more about becoming a foster or adoptive parent. Current foster and adoptive parents will share their experiences and answer questions. There will be plenty of fun for the whole family, including:
A petting zoo featuring bunnies, ducks, a lamb, donkey, mini horse, mini goat, rooster, and baby chicks!
Door prizes
Vendor giveaways
Family-friendly activities
Snacks
and more!
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Adoptions Together, Conference, Saturday, April 21, 2018 9am to 2pm
Join us for the Voices of Transracial Adoptees conference on April 21st, 2018. This year's conference will feature keynote speaker, Rhonda Roorda, an accomplished writer, speaker, advocate for transracial families. Rhonda will share her experiences as an African American growing up in a white family and will discuss learning from and writing about other transracial adoptees, their siblings and their parents. She will talk about her new book on voices from the black community addressing transracial adoption.
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Michigan Heart Gallery, Grand Opening, Saturday, April 28, 2018 10:30am to 2pm
The Michigan Heart Gallery is a traveling photographic exhibit featuring older youth in foster care who are awaiting a forever family through adoption.
The 2018 Michigan Heart Gallery Grand Opening event will take place on Saturday, April 28, 2018, from 10:30AM until 2:00PM at Emagine Theater in Royal Oak. You are invited. Some of the foster children who want to be adopted will be there. Their photographers are invited. Agency adoption workers are welcome too.
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A Family For Every Child, Marathon, Sunday, April 29, 2018 6am to 12pm
Founded in 2006, A Family for Every Child developed into an organization focused on finding permanent and loving adoptive homes for waiting foster children. Over the last 5 years we have developed 10 plus programs that assist special-needs/challenging-to-place foster children in finding their own Forever Families. Their vision is: to facilitate, encourage, and publicize the need for families to adopt special needs children as well as to inspire and educate families that otherwise would not have thought of becoming an adoptive family.
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Tennessee's Kids Belong, New Website, Thursday, April 5, 2018
You can help!Children featured on this site do not have an identified adoptive placement and are currently in a foster home or in a residential facility, where they will remain until an adoptive family has been identified for them.
Please share these videos on your own social media! The more families we can share these children's stories with, the better chance we have of finding just the right family for them.
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A Family For Every Child, Agency Newsletter, Wednesday, April 4, 2018
Any family who is considering adoption must make themselves aware of the myths and realities of foster care adoption BEFORE they rule it out. Over the next couple of months we will explore the myths and realities of adoption in hopes that if you have been thinking about adoption, you will reach out and let us help you determine if foster care adoption is the right way to grow your family.
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WJAR Providence, Article, Wednesday, April 4, 2018
The traveling Rhode Island Heart Gallery exhibits professional portraits of children in state care. The exhibit is of professional portraits of children in state care and was created to raise awareness about the need for adoptive families and to get people thinking.
"Everyone who comes in here -- we had a vendor who came in this morning -- and they were just blown away at the expression in these kids' faces, and also the stories that accompany them," Saunders said.
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The Record Courier, Request for Help, Tuesday, April 3, 2018
Ever consider opening your home to foster children? Douglas County's situation is a little unusual, but similar situations exist in almost every county of the nation. Pursuant to best practices, Douglas County needs at least 25 foster homes to adequately serve the population. It currently has five. Why is this important? Consider this scenario: It is 10 p.m. on a Sunday. Mom and child are in a vehicle driven by dad. Dad is intoxicated and subsequently arrested for driving under the influence and child endangerment. Mom is arrested for drugs found on her person. Neither parent is able to post bail. The police are keeping the child safe while they wait for Child Protective Services.
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Let It Be Us, Waiting Child, Monday, April 2, 2018
Marie has experienced multiple transitions in her short life and she needs a parent who will help her catch up. She needs more assistance than most children her age with things like getting dressed and brushing her teeth. Above all, she needs a parent who will patiently spend time with her. She enjoys art, dance and music.
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Four Oaks & LSI, Questions Answered, Monday, April 2, 2018
TIPS-MAPP is a 30-hour, interactive group format led by a team of two facilitators. The team includes an experienced foster or adoptive parent and an experienced social worker employed in the foster care or adoption field.
You'll learn firsthand the challenges and rewards of becoming a foster and/or adoptive parent, and your TIPS-MAPP leaders will help you decide how your expectations and abilities match the realities of becoming a foster or adoptive family.
The benefits of TIPS-MAPP...
Understanding behavioral problems a child may experience.
Understanding the foster care system.
Think about the positive impact fostering and adoption may have on your own family.
Learning how to build positive relationships with birth parents and families.
Understanding the commitment it takes to ensure the well-being of children placed in your care.
Learning the importance of keeping close connections between children and their birth families.
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KFMB-TV San Diego, Adopt8 News Video, Sunday, April 1, 2018
You can learn a lot about children, by the way they piece together a jigsaw puzzle.
Some might get frustrated, or lose interest, others will stay focused, right through the very end.
In Sunday's Adopt 8, Marcella Lee introduces us to a young boy, who shows us he's committed to achieving his goals - and he's hoping his dream of finding a forever home, comes true.
10-year-old Martin enjoys the challenge of putting small pieces together to make a big picture.
"Martin's a little bit shy, but once he gets to know you he opens up," said protective services worker Lizbeth Montes. "He has a great smile that's super contagious.
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Florida Courier, Article, Sunday, April 1, 2018
One Church One Child of Florida is reaching out to families and individuals in communities across the state in efforts to help share the truth that the children pictured here and others like them are waiting for a permanent home and/or mentor.
Daily, over 700 children are in need of a family to call their own; many of them are minorities. Can you provide a loving, permanent home for these siblings or other children like them or consider becoming their mentor?
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Eckerd Connects, Child Needs a Family, Thursday, March 29, 2018
Michael is a sweet, engaging kid who loves stories. His favorite book to-date is Harry Potter, and one of the things he most looks forward to in a family is reading books all together. Michael also enjoys science and sports, especially football, baseball and basketball. When he grows up he wants to try bull riding in a rodeo, and he'd like to travel to New York City.
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WSVN Miami, Special Day, Thursday, March 29, 2018
"We want today to be the first step in creating a family tree that changes their lives forever."
These children have been removed from their biological parents for reasons of neglect or abuse with no possibility of family reunification. Approximately half of the children featured in The Children's Trust Miami Heart Gallery since its debut in 2009 have either been adopted or are in the process of being adopted. Foster and adopted children in Florida have a multitude of benefits, including fully paid college tuition through Florida's Department of Children and Families. According to the state of Florida, approximately 540 children in Miami-Dade County's foster care system have the goal of adoption.
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Adoption.com, Advocacy, Thursday, March 29, 2018
This is a list of heroes that have changed the way that Americans think about adoption. Whether their actions were large or small, their words loud or quiet, their stories linger in people’s ears. It's a powerful discovery to learn that someone you admire was adopted, but it is even more powerful when you learn that that person decided to adopt their own children as well, as in the case with celebrity #1 Frances McDormand.
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KEYE Austin Texas, News Video, Wednesday, March 28, 2018
There are things that many can do to help a needy child get adopted. The reality is that as kids get older, their chances for adoption decrease. In addition, other factors like being part of a sibling group or having special needs can impact a foster child's likelihood of being adopted.Partnerships for Children, which is dedicated to empowering and supporting abused and neglected children in the care of Child Protective Services, also brings these kids to life in its Heart Gallery.
Unfortunately, not all children find their forever family. Many stay in foster care until they are considered legal adults. This means they often don’t have a trusted adult to turn to for help, advice, or support as they navigate into adulthood. Partnerships for Children’s YES Mentoring (Youth Empowerment and Success) program provides mentorship for those young adults preparing to age out of foster care without a forever family.
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Cable News 12 Brooklyn New York, Videos, Tuesday, March 27, 2018
We hope that you enjoy The Heart Gallery NYC Photo Exhibit. While the adoptability status of the children featured on this Web site may change daily, please remember that there are many children that need the love and security of a "Forever Family." Please click on each child's photo for more information, and to watch a video of the child.
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WBRC Birmingham, Press Release, Sunday, March 25, 2018 8:30am to 11am
There are over 850 children in Massachusetts who are waiting for adoption right now. To help children needing adoptive homes meet families that are ready to parent, Jordan's Furniture is hosting a special adoption party on Sunday, March 25, from 8:30 - 11:00 am, at Jordan's Furniture, 50 Walker's Brook Dr., Reading, MA. This event is by invitation only.
Jordan's Furniture hosts this event in collaboration with the Massachusetts Adoption Resource Exchange (MARE) and the Massachusetts Department of Children & Families (DCF) to help find permanent families for children in state foster care. Prospective adoptive parents who have been through the approval process will be able to meet Massachusetts' waiting children, and they will have an opportunity to meet with social workers in a casual atmosphere.
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SRQ Magazine, Graceful Gift, Saturday, March 24, 2018
Last Saturday, The Circus Arts Conservatory, The Junior League of Sarasota, The Heart Gallery of Sarasota and The Children’s Guardian Fund partnered together to host 60 foster children and their foster families for a special presentation of the Sailor Circus Academy. The purpose of the event was to provide a light-hearted atmosphere in which foster children and their foster families were able to enjoy dinner and a fun-filled show, many attending the circus for the first time. The Sarasota-Bradenton area has a shocking 1,200+ kids in foster care, an explosion attributed to the opioid crisis. For one evening, children and foster families were able to take a break, laugh and be captivated by the joy of the circus arts.
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Tampa Bay Online, Blog, Sunday, March 18, 2018
Matt Andriese was the tour guide Sunday as the Rays hosted a 10-year-old boy, Joshua, from The Heart Gallery, which works to find adoption matches for foster kids.
Joshua had his own locker in the clubhouse, hung out on the field during batting practice, brought the lineup card to home plate, and received a jersey, signed bats and other equipment and gifts from the team.
"It was pretty rewarding to see him smile like that and just have a good day out here,'' Andriese said. "Hopefully everything works out with the Heart Gallery and hopefully he finds a home."
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internships.com, internship, Wednesday, March 14, 2018
Virginia is fortunate to have so many great non-profit agencies for foster care and adoption. Connecting Hearts wants to ensure we shine a light to each. In educating prospective parents and working together for a common goal, we can ensure Virginia's children get the resources they need and deserve. Virginia is currently in need of parents for our kids... if you are pursuing a Bachelors Degree in Marketing, have excellent written and verbal communication and customer service skills, are creative, flexible, can handle variety, a fast learner, enthusiastic, and adaptable, click here.
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A Family For Every Child, Internship, Tuesday, March 13, 2018
A Family For Every Child is looking for someone who can help the Heart Gallery Program's faith-based venue partners maintain and develop their galleries. The Heart Gallery is a traveling "art exhibit" of photographs of local and nationwide children who are currently in foster care and waiting to be adopted.
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KNOE Monroe, News Video, Tuesday, March 13, 2018
The Louisiana Baptist Children's Home says there's a shortage of foster parents.
They say there are about 600 children in foster care in northeast Louisiana, but less than 300 homes.
The Louisiana Baptist Children's Home says being a foster parent is a big commitment, with an even bigger reward.
"I think it's probably one of the most rewarding things you can do," Susan Nolan, director of child and family services, says.
They also say it's not an easy job, but it's worth it.
Orientation is the first step toward becoming a foster parent.
The Louisiana Baptist Children's home holds orientations for interested foster parents on the second Tuesday of every month.
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Portage Daily Register, News Article, Tuesday, March 13, 2018
"We have two biological kids that are 15 and 13," said Nikki Zajicek, 40, who with her husband, Jason, have welcomed foster children into their home since 2013. "I had done day care before that so I had lots of experience with kiddos."
"It's not that everyone has to do a long-term placement, there could also be just a weekend, that they needed a break while they figured things out," said Zajicek. "And they'll always say, 'We have this-age kiddos, do you think you can do it? — You always have an option if life is too busy right then or your have your own stuff going on."
More than two-thirds of Wisconsin children in out-of-home placement eventually were reunited with their primary caretaker in 2015.
Columbia County Department of Children and Families will host a foster care informational meeting, from 5:30 to 7 p.m., April 4, at Portage United Methodist Church, 1804 New Pinery Road. Child care is available.
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The Newton County Times, Article, Monday, March 12, 2018
The CALL (Children of Arkansas Loved for a Lifetime) of Boone County has recently expanded to include Newton County.
County Coordinator, Laura Caughron said, "This has really been fun. DCFS (Department of Children and Family Services) asked us to sign a memorandum of understanding which makes us officially training and supporting the foster and adoptive homes in Newton County.
"We've always supported those families, but now we can work with the churches and recruit Christian families for foster and adoptive care," Stephens said. " 'The Grove' of Western Grove and Newton County Baptist are both involved."
Currently Newton County has 11 children in care and only one foster home. The CALL is hosting training in April that should give them more families ready for foster or adoptive care.
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Foster Friends Films, Volunteerism, Saturday, March 10, 2018
Our mission is to foster friends who help youth and adults learn
how to make films and inspire others through projects and programs.
Our first non-profit film project is about to premiere in Hollywood, California, in April 2018. Entitled Min Min and The Magic Garden, this film is about a spunky orphan who searches for the magic of love on a quest for the true meaning of friendship and family through an enchanted garden. Based in part on the true story of Min, an orphan adopted in China by two American teachers, on September 11th, 2001. In the midst of a world in crisis that day, something beautiful happened after Min explored her playground and garden. This couple of native Michiganders was then on one of the first planes permitted to return to the United States days later as they landed in Los Angeles, CA, and returned to their home in Florida. This combination live action-animated short film also promotes adoption opportunities in America and worldwide.
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The Toledo Blade, Article, Friday, March 9, 2018
It is like fighting a wildfire with a bucket of water.
That is how Robin Reese, executive director of Lucas County Children Services, feels every day when she walks into her Adams Street office in downtown Toledo and checks the numbers.
More than 140 more children need foster care than at this time last year, and those already in foster care are staying there longer. It has become all the more common to find caseworkers at the office late, scrambling to find a safe place for yet another child to sleep that night.
Mrs. Reese, who became executive director in September, 2015, attributes the steady increase in both children who need foster care and the duration they spend in the system to the opioid epidemic gripping the region.
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The Stuttgart Daily Leader, Exhibit and Prayer, Friday, March 9, 2018
There were probably between 50-60 people (possibly more-I didn't actually count heads) present to show support and to pray for The CALL and their efforts to help foster kids. Leading a time of praise and worship were Shane Parish, Andrea Riggs and Taylor Tubbs. Following this our very own Cleburne County Judge Jerry Holmes spoke welcoming everyone and sharing his personal testimony.
The CALL in Cleburne County hosted a prayer vigil on March 9, 5:30pm on the courthouse lawn. The Arkansas Heart Gallery is also set up and can be viewed at Citygate Church located on the corner of the courthouse square. There will be live music and guided prayer for children in foster care and those waiting for a forever home. We hope to create unity, grow awareness, and involve more people in committed prayer for the fatherless in our community and state.
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KAMC Lubbock, News Video, Wednesday, March 7, 2018
Child Protective Services in the South Plains relaunched their successful Heart Gallery portrait project to find local children in the foster care system families who will adopt them.
"It makes them so real," CPS Adoption Program Specialist for the Region, Karen Tipton said. "It makes them just like the kiddos next door."
More than 400 children in region are still in need of their forever homes. "Sometimes there's a little bit of a challenge," Tipton said. "They're kind of afraid to trust sometimes. Are you going to love me? You're not going to throw me back like a fish in a lake? You going to keep me forever no matter what? But it's amazing to see the success when these children are placed in their forever homes."
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WMBF Myrtle Beach, News Video, Tuesday, March 6, 2018
According to the South Carolina Department of Social Services, the two counties are in need of 270 more foster care homes to care for the more than 600 children currently being cared for. There are currently around 200 regular foster homes within the two counties in addition to more intensive foster homes.
Children often enter foster care when they can no longer live safely at home and there is no other relative to take care of them. Foster families can provide a safe and nurturing environment for these children.
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WIS Charleston, News Video, Tuesday, March 6, 2018
If you have ever thought about adoption, we hope you will join us for a new series on WIS called 'A Family For Life.'
On the first Tuesday of every month, we will share stories on adoption, answer your questions, explain the process ... and hopefully help more children find "A Family For Life." If adoption has been on your heart, here are a few facts to consider...
Right now, we have about 600 children who are free for adoption in South Carolina.
The average age of children waiting to be adopted is between 10-11 years old.
All ages of children are available, including many sibling groups.
You can be single or married.
Adoptions can take from a few months to a year, depending on circumstances with the child and adoptive family.
There is no cost to adopt from foster care in South Carolina.
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Associated Press, Exhibit, Wednesday, February 14 to Monday, December 31, 2018
MILFORD, Conn. (AP) — Connecticut's Department of Children and Families is using Valentine's Day to open an exhibit of photographs featuring children waiting to be adopted.
The Heart Gallery exhibit opens Wednesday at the Connecticut Post Mall in Milford.
Agency officials say it's an opportunity to increase awareness and hopefully interest in adoption.
A phone app, called "Live Portrait" will allow those viewing the exhibit to get information and videos of the children featured in the photographs.
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Foster Focus Magazine, Foster Law Change, Sunday, February 11, 2018
The new law seeks to rebalance a particularly difficult dynamic at play in the foster care system.
The division modifies various options available to case workers. As the law was drafted in Congress, lawmakers heard testimony about how the lack of options for caseworkers is one of the great stressors associated with the job — one that has, not coincidentally, extraordinary turnover. Previously the law set up a system where all incentives lead toward breaking up the family, even though studies show doing so produces far worse outcomes.
The new law balances that incentive by giving caseworkers some meaningful things they can actually do. Now they’ll be able to offer addiction treatment and counseling, parenting support services or moving the child in with close family.
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