Heart Gallery of West Virginia

By Delano Farley
The Heart Gallery of West Virginia: Portraits of Hope, a traveling photography exhibit conducted by Mission West Virginia that features portraits of Mountain State foster children eligible for adoption, is being featured inside the Grand Central Mall in the Parkersburg area until April 10.

The exhibit’s main goal is to provide knowledge about foster children with a need for a loving family and recruit families for foster parenting and adoption needs. The portraits of the foster children on display are accompanied by information about the children and an audio feed of their voices.

The Heart Gallery of West Virginia will travel throughout the state until mid-2006. Twelve of the one hundred children awaiting adoption in West Virginia will be a part of the gallery. Wendy’s International, Inc. and the Sisters of Saint Joseph provided funding for the project. West Virginia photographers Dewayne and Gwinnie Lowther from Parkersburg and John Fluharty of Charleston helped create the display of photography. The photographers volunteered their time and talents to create the intimate portraits of the foster children who are typically considered as the “hardest to place” in adoption. Many of the “hardest to place” are children considered to be minorities, older, or in sibling groups.

Many children are awaiting adoption from loving families and have been waiting for years to receive a permanent home. The Heart Gallery of West Virginia seeks to bring a face and give a voice to children who are in need of adopting families. If you are interested in more information about how you can adopt or assist Mission West Virginia’s Heart Gallery or any adoption education/recruitment program, please contact Mission West Virginia at 1-866-CALLMWV or visit their website at missionwv.org.