Heart Gallery of Idaho

The Heart Gallery of Idaho focuses on youth who want adoptive parents or mentors in their lives. Through the lenses of talented portrait artists you may glimpse the personalities of individuals as well as brothers and sisters who want security and committed love.

Just as light enters the lens of a camera to capture an image, we hope your heart will receive the image of someone who waits in foster care for a permanent family. These young people are keenly familiar with both darkness and light. Their eyes mirror the joy, hope, longing and sometimes even the hopelessness they have felt in an imperfect world. Look deeper and you'll also discover amazing courage and resiliency. If you believe in the strength of a family to meet life's challenges, you may even imagine yourself in one of these portraits. You don't have to be perfect to be an adoptive parent or a mentor, but you could become someone's everyday hero.

Idaho's Wednesday's Child program began using professional portraits at www.idahowednesdayschild.org in April of 2001. Besides showing what is unique in each youth, portraits also build a sense of pride in pre-teens and teens who may only be familiar with the hurried process of school pictures.

Whether you are visiting this gallery because of your own interest in adoption or mentoring or you simply enjoy the beauty of fine portraiture, we thank you for your interest. If you have any questions about the children, please read their profiles. You can also learn more about adoption through your local human services agency, adoption agency or through:

The History of the original Heart Gallery:

The first Heart Gallery was founded by the New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department in 2001. Stirring portraits, which reveal the children's amazing spirits and individuality, have helped many find permanent, loving homes.

This unusual recruitment effort has spread to almost every state in the United States of America. Heart Gallery exhibits raise general adoption awareness and nudge those who already know about foster care and adoption to take action. The exhibits have enjoyed overwhelmingly positive press coverage. Journalists have concentrated on the uniqueness of the project, the children and their needs, and how readers or viewers can help.

Diane Granito, planner of the first Heart Gallery, shares her strategies for planning and implementing a successful Heart Gallery Project.