Heart Gallery of America Incorporated

In 2001, as a foster and adoptive parent recruiter for the New Mexico Children, Youth & Families Department (CYFD), I had the honor of developing an idea from photographer (and adoptive mother) Cathy Maier Callanan: to have talented photographers create inspiring portraits of older children and sibling groups who were waiting for adoption. At the time, social services agencies had to use whatever images of the children they could get, and most were as inspiring as a driver’s license photo. With the support of CYFD, I approached Lisa Bronowicz at the Gerald Peters Gallery in Santa Fe about hosting an exhibit of these art-quality portraits. That's how "The Heart Gallery," as I dubbed it, was born. More than 1,200 people attended the first opening, Randy Travis serenaded the crowd, and connections were made that night leading to the adoption of six Heart Gallery children. We all knew we were on to something special, though what was to come has exceeded our wildest dreams. The mission of Heart Gallery of America Inc. is to facilitate and utilize the power of photography to capture the individuality and dignity of children living in foster care, in order to advocate for their permanency, raise public awareness about their needs, and obtain support to help meet those needs. An integral part of honoring this mission is to provide assistance and resources to Heart Gallery chapters nationwide to help them achieve parallel goals for the waiting children they represent.