SOCIAL REGISTER
The Heart Gallery Portrait Premiere ADOPTION COALITION OF TEXAS
We all come across people we converse with at work, run into at the store and at restaurants and know as friends or acquaintances, that when the adoption topic comes up, they mention that they were adopted or a child in their family was adopted into a loving family and permanent home. This is the same thing that, on the average, 750 foster kids in Central Texas are waiting to experience as well, a forever family that they will bond with and have a connection with for the rest of their lives. In Austin, we have a terrific organization that represents Central Texas whose mission is to help find forever families for children languishing in the foster care system—the Adoption Coalition of Texas (ACT). This is a coalition of Child Protective Services and nonprofit child placing agencies who make these demanding efforts their mission. ACT accomplishes this goal through community awareness and education about kids in foster care, recruitment of families and systemic change with the goal of ultimately increasing the number of kids who become adopted. They also have a special annual project, the Heart Gallery of Central Texas, held in September of this year, that acts as one of ACT’s several recruitment projects. It will also be a fundraising event starting 2012. In Central Texas alone, approximately THE HEART GALLERY 750 children are awaiting adoption every day. PORTRAIT PREMIERE These are all children who were removed from September 20 their natural families due to abuse or neglect. Shoal Creek Event Center ACT helps inform the public about adoption, adoptioncoalitiontx.org identify which children are available in their area and break down common misconceptions regarding the process of domestic adoption so that these children can find permanent homes and families. The Adoption Coalition of Texas is a 501c(3) non-profit organization that was created in 2003. All funds used to support ACT and its programs, including the Heart Gallery of Central Texas, come from individual donors, community funds, direct sponsorships, foundations or from the organization’s general operating budget. No government funds are received for any ACT program or initiative. ACT serves as an umbrella organization that includes these child-placing partner agencies: Arrow Child & Family Ministries, Lutheran Social Services, Pathways Youth and Family Services, and Child Protective Services, in addition to its two recently added agencies, The Settlement Home for Children and STARRY Foster Care. Participating CASA organizations are: CASA of Bastrop, Lee and Fayette Counties, CASA of Central Texas, Inc., CASA for the Highland Lakes area, CASA of McLennan and Hill Counties, CASA of Travis County and Voices for Children, Inc., CASA of Brazos Valley.
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On September 20th, 2012, The Heart Gallery of Central Texas project will debut approximately 110 portraits of 150 foster children that are in need of permanent homes. The portraits will make up the new traveling exhibit that will move around Central Texas for the following 12 months. Now celebrating its eighth anniversary, this project of the Adoption Coalition of Texas helps generate awareness about the many foster children in Central Texas who are still awaiting adoption and need a forever family. This year, the special event will be held at a new location, the Shoal Creek Event Center in Austin, from 6:30 – 9:30 p.m. and will also act as a fundraiser for the non-profit featuring a silent auction with many great items. Any groups interested in hosting an exhibit or mini-exhibit of the portraits in their place of business or venue after the September 20th premiere event can contact the Adoption Coalition of Texas for more information. Murray Chanow, Executive Director of the Adoption Coalition of Texas commented, “Each year we try to evolve the event to a new level. This year’s event will feature a video presentation told from the kids’ perspective, a silent auction for the first time and of course a premiere of the extraordinary portraits that our dedicated photographers take of the foster children needing a forever home.” As a special and heart-stopping part of the program, the Heart Gallery will again feature a short video that puts a voice and face with the name of a child and conveys the message from the child’s thoughts and perspective. “Our end goal remains the same: we want to reach out to as many people as we can in the Central Texas area with this portrait exhibit so that we can help find permanent homes for these foster kids,” added Chanow. Since its inception in the Austin area eight years ago, the Heart Gallery of Central Texas has generated a 60% success rate in the adoption of foster children in the Central Texas area into permanent homes. These efforts also help educate the community on the adoption process and encourage people to reach out to a child in need. The Heart Gallery also helps inform the public about adoption, identifies which children are available in their area and breaks down common misconceptions regarding adoption. The portraits that will appear in the 2012 Heart Gallery of Central Texas would not be possible without the time and talent donated to the cause by more than 50 renowned Central Texas photographers. These individuals continue to volunteer their time and talents to photograph the children, many of whom are older or special needs children, minorities or are part of a sibling group; all are considered hard-to-place children. ACT wants to get the word out about these children living in foster care, many for extended periods, and that are waiting for a permanent family—a life of stability and love. If you would like more information on the Adoption Coalition of Texas, The Heart Gallery of Central Texas or to find out ways to help, visit adoptioncoalitiontx.org, heartgallerytexas.com or call Murray Chanow, ACT Executive Director, at (512) 301-2825. The Adoption Coalition of Texas operates as a special 501(c)3 project of the Austin Community Foundation.