Interesting Facts
- More than 119,000 children in the U.S. are waiting to be adopted – many have been waiting a long time. The average age is 9-14 years old. 1400 of those are in Missouri .
- The purpose of the Heart Gallery is to educate the public about older children who need families and to help find permanent adoptive families (“forever families”) for these children who are currently in the foster care system.
- The Missouri Adoption Heart Gallery features compelling photographs of children in need of a safe, loving, permanent homes.
- The photographers develop a relationship with each child in order to capture the true spirit and individuality of each child.
- The Missouri Heart Gallery features 243 children in photos taken by 100+ of the most talented photographers in Missouri.
- The Heart Gallery was created by Children, Youth & Families Department in Santa Fe in 2001 in order to raise awareness of older children available for adoption. A gallery donated its space for the photography exhibition – 1200 people showed up for the exhibition's opening night.
- Since 2001, adoption organizations in collaboration with state child welfare organizations have solicited some of the finest photographers across more than 40 other states to present their own Heart Gallery.
- In many of the states that have hosted A Heart Gallery, adoption has increased more than 50% following the photography exhibitions.
- In Hartford , Connecticut, portraits of 40 children were put on display. Nineteen of those children were later adopted.
- The Missouri Adoption Heart Gallery began in 2006
- The 2009 Missouri Adoption Heart Gallery will open on May 1st at the Crown Center in Kansas City and will be displayed in 15 locations across Missouri.