The Heart Gallery

Through the Heart Gallery of Georgia, photos of children and the stories that accompany them are a treasure to behold. This photographic treasure is waiting to be given to the person or family that decides this child is mine and perhaps their sibling too.

What the gallery will tell you:

The Heart Gallery will provide you with a picture of a child in need of adoption, as well as a narrative description; it will tell you the child's age, racial and ethnic background, gender and other basic demographic information. The page will also give you a "thumbnail" description of the child and may include primary areas of strengths, any special needs the child has and a summary about his or her personality.

What the gallery will not tell you:

The Heart Gallery child's portrait is a brief sketch of a real child; it is not a "sample" or a composite. Because these are real children, with unique needs, feelings and histories, their privacy and confidentiality must be respected. Last names and hometowns will not be mentioned.

If you find an appealing child:

Once you express interest in a child, the child's case worker will provide information about the type of family that would be considered a good "match" for the child and may indicate such things as whether or not the child has siblings or extended family or foster family members with whom they want to stay in touch.

If one of the children listed appeals to you, contact a caseworker with one of the state agencies where you live to draft a list of questions to ask the child's caseworker about the child.

You will want to ask about the child's background, including child assessment summaries, medical and educational background, social history, and other material that may be available. The child's worker will begin providing these items once your home study has been reviewed and it is determined that you, indeed, may be an appropriate "match" for this child.

What you should do:

You will want to research how the child's challenges will affect your family. Adoptive parent support groups, adoption conferences and seminars, and adoption books are good places to begin. You will also want to learn if your community provides needed resources and services (medical, psychological, educational, recreational, etc.)