Missouri Adoption Heart Gallery coming to St. Joseph
by Sylvia Anderson
Donald J. is a 10-year-old boy who loves cats, dogs, semi-trucks, going to church and watching Sponge Bob Square Pants on TV. He’s much like other boys his age, except for one thing: Donald dreams of having a family. “Someone to love me and I get to stay there forever,” he told the Missouri Department of Social Services. Just looking at his sweet face with those puppy dog brown eyes — well, it’s enough to break your heart.
That’s kind of the idea behind the Missouri Adoption Heart Gallery tour that will be coming to the Buchanan County Courthouse in St. Joseph July 21 and 22. Sponsored by the Adoption Exchange and the children’s division of the DSS, they hope to find homes for the 238 children depicted in the 185 photos on the tour. The tour will travel to 16 cities across the state to be on display in 22 venues.
“This is the third year,” says Sara Anderson, DSS spokesperson. “In the first two years, we had more than 100 kids who were placed with potential adoptive families. It’s something that’s working.”
And something that’s needed, considering there are 1,800 children needing homes in Missouri. Many of the children featured in the gallery were selected because they are harder to place, Ms. Anderson says. It’s usually because they are older or have siblings, like Emily Mathis. She was adopted when she was 11 years old, along with her brother, Billy, after being in foster care for two years. Emily was not sure she would ever have parents. “Nobody wanted to take on a kid that was older,” Emily says. “I’m not good enough for a family … you think that a lot.”
Foster parents took care of her physical needs, she says, but not the emotional ones. It’s different now with her adopted parents. They tell her every day how they love her, and she knows they will always be there for her. “It’s really helped me change my life,” she says.
One of the keys to the success of the Missouri Adoption Heart Gallery has been the quality of the photos. They were taken and donated by professional photographers across the state. “The thing about these pictures is that they are not just kids sitting there,” Ms. Anderson says. “These photographers are able to capture the spirit of these kids and that’s what is speaking to people.”
So you’ll see the sparkling eyes and bright smile of 10-year-old Angela S. and learn how she loves to sing, dance and ride her bike; or the freckles on 8-year-old John P. and read how he enjoys fishing, camping and playing with Lincoln Logs. Then, if the photos tug at your heart strongly enough, you may consider what it would be like to love one of these children as your own.
For more information, visit Heart Gallery
Hello! I wanted to drop you a quick message letting you know about a new Social Network for Adoptees, called AdopteeNetwork.com.
http://adopteenetwork.com
If you’d like any more information, feel free to contact me personally @ johnsaddington@gmail.com. I’d love to discuss how we can work together!
John
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