October 6, 2015 -- The Heart Gallery, a traveling photographic exhibit created to find “forever families” for children in foster care, will open Oct. 7 and run through Oct. 9 at the Greenburgh Public Library, located at 300 Tarrytown Rd., Greenburgh. A reception will be held at 2 p.m. Oct. 8, at which time County Executive Robert P. Astorino will declare it “Adoption Awareness Day” in Westchester County.
“The Heart Gallery gives a face to children in need of a loving ‘forever home’ to call their own,” Astorino said. “Our hope is to inspire people to open their hearts and their homes to our foster children, especially those that may be harder to place – such as teenagers or those with special needs.”
Astorino said adoptions are on the rise in Westchester and the county wants to build on that success.
In Westchester, the Department of Social Services (DSS) recorded 275 adoptions between 2010 and 2014, compared to 239 between 2005 and 2009. That’s an increase of 36 adoptions, or 15 percent.
“The need for good homes is always there,” Astorino said. “I urge people who might be interested in becoming an adoptive or foster parent to call United Way’s 2-1-1 helpline to learn more about the process.”
By calling 2-1-1, residents can begin the screening process to see if they would qualify to be a foster parent. Learn more about becoming a foster parent on United Way of Westchester and Putnam.
This is the 11th year that the county’s DSS has participated in the Heart Gallery, which is a nationwide effort designed to increase the number of adoptive families. Once again this year, Orange County DSS will join Westchester in displaying portraits of children available for adoption.
As of September 2015 there were 90 children in Westchester County who are eligible for adoption. Several of these children will be adopted on Adoption Day on Nov. 20, as part of National Adoption Month.
Photos from the Heart Gallery may be viewed at www.westchestergov.com/heartgallery.