MIAMI, FL – From “Take 1” and “roll tape” to modernism and minimalism, 12 adoption-ready children will be exposed to a whole new canvas of opportunity at the July 10 Children’s Trust Miami Heart Gallery photo and video shoot. Hosted by Florida International University’s Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum, the children will have their photos taken and their hopes and dreams captured on video before touring the art museum, which is sure to spark curiosity and conversation.
The Children’s Trust Miami Heart Gallery is an online multimedia exhibit that showcases older children in Miami-Dade’s foster care system who are ready to join a permanent adoptive family; their heartwarming stories, images and videos can be viewed at www.miamiheartgallery.org. A team of award-winning professional photographers have volunteered to capture images of a dozen children in this upcoming session, and video crews will record interviews with each child. Makeup artists and hairstylists will also donate their time and talent to prepare children for their close-ups.
“We want to remind our community, week after week, year after year, that the older adoptable children in Miami-Dade have value and potential beyond measure. They are eager to have a permanent, loving home,” says James R. Haj, president and CEO of The Children’s Trust. “We thank FIU’s Frost Museum of Art for giving us the space needed to allow these children to enjoy this event beyond just the view in front of the cameras. Here, they’ll get to have tangible experiences that will paint hope in their hearts for the few hours they are there.”
The Miami Heart Gallery is a partnership between The Children's Trust and Our Kids of Miami-Dade/Monroe, the local lead agency for child welfare in Miami and the Keys. According to the state of Florida, more than 530 foster children in Miami-Dade are eligible for adoption. These children have been removed from their biological parents for reasons of neglect or abuse with no possibility of family reunification. Approximately half of the children featured in The Children's Trust Miami Heart Gallery since 2009 have either been adopted or are in the process of being adopted.
In addition to the dozens of volunteers, Neat Stuff (www.neatstuffhelpskids.org) is providing wardrobe to all participating foster youth, who will be able to keep the clothing they wear on camera. Pollo Tropical is providing food for all the children, caseworkers and volunteers.
Previous photo shoots were held at University of Miami, Wynwood Walls, Marlins Park, Vizcaya Museum & Gardens, Biltmore Hotel, Fairchild Tropical Botanic Gardens, Pinecrest Gardens, Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, the South Beach Art Deco District, and Coconut Grove Arts Festival and surrounding businesses.
The Children’s Trust Miami Heart Gallery is modeled after the inaugural Heart Gallery, which was launched in 2001 in New Mexico at the suggestion of a Santa Fe photographer/adoptive mother. The Miami Heart Gallery can be seen at www.miamiheartgallery.org; new portraits will be added to the gallery in early September.
Anyone interested in learning more about adopting a foster child or becoming a foster parent should call Our Kids at 305.455.6241 or email rollen@ourkids.us.
The Children's Trust is a dedicated source of revenue established by voter referendum to improve the lives of children and families in Miami-Dade County.
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Note: Photo shoots will begin at 9 a.m. and run through 3:30 p.m. at FIU’s Frost Museum of Art, 10975 SW 17th Street, Miami, FL 33199. To coordinate passenger car and satellite van parking, please contact Lisa Mozloom at 305.528.5341 or lisa.mozloom@themnetwork.com.
Media Contact:
Natalia Zea
Chief Public Policy & Community Engagement Officer, The Children’s Trust
natalia@thechildrenstrust.org