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The Heart Gallery of Sarasota
By Tracy Eisnaugle
Photography By Peter Acker
A local symbol of hope, The Heart Gallery of Sarasota, Inc., is shedding light on one of the communities’ best kept secrets, our children in the foster care system that are available for adoption. Established in 2005 The Heart Gallery is a museum-quality traveling display of inspiring photographs and biographies of our communities’ foster care children that are seeking a forever family. The goal is to raise awareness for these children and to encourage individuals to become adoptive and/or foster parents.
Although not often revealed there are over 118,000 children nationally in the foster care system. These children are of all ages, racial and ethnic backgrounds, and have a wide range of needs. Many of these children have been waiting for years to become part of a permanent family.
The Heart Gallery of Sarasota, Inc. is composed of a dedicated group of volunteers consisting of members of the Safe Children Coalition and many active locals who have an interest in bringing attention to these exceptional children through the persuasion of art.
Through gracious donations made by professional photographers adoptive foster children are able to have their pictures taken and displayed on the mobile showcase. This approach allows potential parents to gain insight and information without the pressures and preconceived conceptions of the adoption process. For the past two years, The Heart Gallery of Sarasota, Inc. has teamed up with the Junior League of Sarasota to hold an adoption awareness picnic. The events have successfully brought together the foster children, their foster families, and the public to interact in a fun stress less environment, creating an open place for potential parents and children to observe and interact with each other.
Through the use of the heart-warming mobile display and collaborative awareness events The Heart Gallery of Sarasota, Inc. has successfully matched close to twenty children with their forever families. The Heart Gallery is working to change children’s lives by brilliantly illuminating our communities’ forgotten children.
For more information about The Heart Gallery of Sarasota, Inc. or to find out when and where the next exhibit will take place visit http://www.heartgallerysarasota.org [2] or contact Jeremiah Guccione at jeremiah@heartgallerysarasota.org [3].
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