Have you ever heard of the Heart Galley of America?  It is a traveling exhibit that showcases photography and audio pieces of children in the United States Foster Care System who are waiting to be adopted.  There is something quite special when professional photographers take incredible images of these children.

The professional photographers who volunteer their time and talents are able to capture moments and images of children that show that spark in their eyes, that shy smile, or that one quality that stands out and draws one in.

The following statistics were pulled from the Heart Gallery website:

• There are nearly 500,000 children in foster care in the United States.
• Over 250,000 will never return home.
• Over 123,000 need adoptive homes right now. 
• More than 29,000 aged out of foster care in 2008, at age 18 without anyone, to live on their own, unprepared and unsupported.

The website offers you the ability to click on your state (for readers in the US) and check out if there is a Heart Gallery exhibit in your state.  You can also do a Google Image search for Heart Gallery Images and it will take you directly to many photos of children awaiting adoption.

Here’s a link to it:  Heart Gallery 

If you are a photographer and would like to volunteer your time and talent, contact the Heart Gallery and inquire about it!  It is an experience you will not forget and is a great service to children in need!