Homeward Bound
Heart Gallery Alabama gives a face to foster children.
BY ANGIE BROWN | PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF HEART GALLERY ALABAMA

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. But sometimes it’s worth something far more valuable. At Heart Gallery Alabama, an organization that promotes adoption from Alabama’s foster system, each picture displayed offers the chance at a loving family and permanent home for a child in need.
     Right now, the state’s foster system consists of approximately 7,000 children, and about 700 of those children have had their parental rights terminated, meaning they are available for adoption. Of this number, about 300 do not currently have a permanent family identified for them, placing them in a foster or group home where they live while waiting to be adopted.
     That’s where Heart Gallery Alabama comes in. The organization works with professional photographers, who volunteer their time and services to take compelling portraits of these waiting children. Heart Gallery then pairs the photos with a short bio on each child and exhibits them at venues such as the Birmingham Museum of Art, Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, Levite Jewish Community Center, and other museums and churches throughout the state. “One of our goals is to enable you to see these kids in your home and picture them as your own children,” explains Executive Director Michelle Bearman-Wolnek, who is an adoptive parent and social worker. “We make them real, unique and individual—not just a name and a statistic.”
     The program has been a true success, resulting in the adoption of close to 150 children since the organization began in 2005. “Sometimes I don’t even recognize the children when the families send me their new photographs,” Michelle says. “You can’t even imagine this is the same child. They change so much. You don’t even notice how lost they looked in our pictures until you see how happy and comfortable they are with their new family.”
     Michelle decided to start Heart Gallery in January 2005 after reading an article in Parade about Diane Granito, a social worker in New Mexico who collaborated with photographer Cathy Maier Callanan to develop the idea of taking portraits of children in need of an adoptive home. Their idea had led to the creation of Heart Gallery of America, Inc. Inspired, Michelle contacted the organization and discovered that other advocates across Alabama had also expressed interest. Together, they formed the initial Board of Directors for Heart Gallery Alabama, and they reached out to the State Office of Permanency (then the State Office of Adoption). In November 2005, the organization displayed its first exhibit of 24 portraits at the Birmingham Museum of Art.
     Originally volunteer-run, Heart Gallery Alabama has grown to support a professional staff with hopes to expand even more this year. Thanks to a generous grant, the organization’s Web site now includes 50 videos so potential parents who connect with a particular photo can log on and watch that child’s interview. Next, Michelle wants to find a sponsor to provide bio cards at the exhibits so interested people can take the children’s information home with them. “These children—by no fault of their own—are in the predicament that they are in,” Michelle says. “We have a saying that there are no unwanted children, only unfound families, and that’s really the truth. Once you get to know any of these children, you realize that most of them just need a stable, loving home.”
     On February 11, Heart Gallery Alabama will host its 2nd Annual Fotos, Frames and Fun event at Ted’s Garage. With music, food, silent and live auctions, and, of course, a chance to view the children’s portraits, it’s a party you won’t want to miss. The exhibit will travel to Talladega during February and Huntsville in March. To find out more and listen to the kids tell their own stories, visit heartgalleryalabama.com. To learn more about how it all began, visit heartgalleryofamerica.org.