Celebrating Adoption Awareness Month 2024

By Heart Gallery Program Manager, Sarah Murry.

November is a special time of year for the Heart Gallery of Central Texas team. Happy Adoption Awareness month!

The Heart Gallery is a community engagement initiative to raise adoption awareness for kids in the care of CPS who are legally free to be adopted. We do this through displaying portraits and exhibits in the community, and coordinating a weekly segment for KVUE news called Forever Families.

^{Heart Gallery Displays at Lakeline Mall and IKEA Round Rock.}

The Heart Gallery takes beautiful, dignifying portraits of kids, possible thanks to our talented photographers who volunteer their time and expertise. Kids in the Heart Gallery are generally older than 5, sibling groups, or have primary medical needs, which makes it harder to find a permanent home and loving family who can provide more complex needs.

Earlier this year, we featured Lily in the Heart Gallery. Her caseworker contacted the Heart Gallery to arrange professional portraits and a Forever Families filming, focusing on trying to find her a home that could support her medical needs. Lily had a G-tube and needed some extra care, circumstances that often lessen the chance for a child to find their adoptive family.

^{Lily's Forever Families Segment Filming}

Families who are interested in a child after seeing them on Forever Families are directed to the Heart Gallery page, where they can inquire about the child and learn the next steps to being connected.

A few months after her segment aired, Lily was matched with a family! This family was a perfect match for Lily's needs - including a mom who is a nurse!

^{Lily and her Adoptive Family.}

On November 12th, we had the honor to watch Lily's adoption be finalized at Bastrop County's Adoption Day. There, her family shared the wonderful news that Lily is no longer G-tube dependent and is doing great in school!

Foundational to our work is the belief that there is a family who is a match for each child's needs. We're honored to do whatever we can do help connect these families and children.

The Heart Gallery of Central Texas is a program of Partnerships for Children. We're thankful to be part of an organization who upholds the mission of making tomorrow better than today for kids and families connected to CPS.