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In 2001, an idea was developed to photographically capture the spirit and poignant natures of children in foster care, something to that point that had been limited to fixed, head shots. A professional photographer and adoptive parent, Cathy Maier Callanan, joined with adoption recruiter, Diane Granito, in Santa Fe and developed their concept to have professional photographers create inspiring portraits of older children and sibling groups who were waiting for adoption. Appropriately named "The Heart Gallery", this innovative and unique adoptive parent recruitment model has grown exponentially, expanding to dozens of states and cities since that time.
By January 2005, when Rosemary Zibart's touching Parade magazine article about the Heart Gallery came out, several hundred children in the nation's Heart Galleries had already found homes through the project. Subsequent media accounts of the project were featured in People, the NY Times, "All Things Considered", The Christian Science Monitor and on MSNBC, CNN, ABC World News Tonight, The Today Show and Good Morning America.
As Heart Galleries spread, it became clear that a national organization was needed to pool resources, share best practices, seek grants, create corporate partnerships and provide ongoing support to areas without a Heart Gallery presence. The Heart Gallery of America is now a resource for all current and future Heart Galleries with state links to services and resources as well as links to all active Heart Galleries.
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"It was almost as if the country was waiting to be told these children are here, because nobody really talked about them before."
Diane Granito, Heart Gallery Founder
In collaboration with the Governor's Explore Adoption campaign, all Heart Galleries from around the state participated in a collaborative exhibit to provide much needed exposure to the issue of adoption. Collectively, this exhibit brings the faces and voices of thousands of waiting children into the hearts and homes of Florida citizens. Florida is proud to lead the nation in the development of new Heart Galleries accounting for unprecedented successes achieved in finding loving homes for our children in foster care.
The Heart Gallery of America is a collaborative project of over 120 Heart Galleries across the United States (and growing) designed to increase the number of adoptive families for children needing homes in our community. Now, in its eighth year, The Heart Gallery model is being replicated in many communities across the country.
www.heartgalleryofamerica.org
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