DSS Media Advisory

June 03, 2009

Contact: Scott Rowson, 573-526-0407

Heart Gallery tour to stop in Hannibal July 2-10

…adoption promotion effort has placed 120 foster kids in "forever families" across Missouri

Jefferson City — For the first time ever, the traveling Missouri Adoption Heart Gallery will be on display in Hannibal this summer. The Heart Gallery features photos of Missouri children waiting to find their "forever families" through adoption from foster care. From Kansas City in May to Jefferson City in November, the gallery is touring the state, reaching out to potential adoptive families.

The Heart Gallery is a powerful and moving visual exhibit made possible by the donation of time and talent of professional photographers who have produced portraits that capture the personality and spirit of each waiting child.

The 2009 Heart Gallery features 242 children in 188 photos. The Children’s Division (CD) of the Department of Social Services partners with the Adoption Exchange of Missouri to host the gallery. Since the gallery opened in May The Adoption Exchange has taken more than 3,800 inquiries and of the 242 children featured, 33 now have a forever family in progress. Visit dss.mo.gov or www.moheartgallery.org/ for more information.

Who:

Ron Levy, Director of the Department of Social Services

Participating photographers

Former foster care children now in adoptive families

What:

Heart Gallery opening

When:

10:00 a.m.

Thursday, July 2, 2009

Where:

Mark Twain Museum

120 N. Main Street

Hannibal, MO 63401