FOSTER ANGELS OF SOUTH TEXAS LAUNCHES HEART GALLERY PROGRAM, IMPROVING OPPORTUNITIES FOR CHILDREN WANTING TO BE ADOPTED FROM FOSTER CARE
Edinburg, Texas — The Foster Angels of South Texas is pleased to announce the launch of the Heart Gallery of South Texas, covering areas from Corpus Christi to Laredo and the Rio Grande Valley. Along with state and local leaders, including First Lady of Texas, Cecilia Abbott, the Heart Gallery will launch on March 26th, 2024. Foster Angels of South Texas provides services to provide basic needs and life enhancing experiences to children and youth placed in foster care. The Heart Gallery of South Texas will expand our services to meet the needs of children in the area awaiting adoption. Heart Gallery programs use exhibits, portraits and media to introduce communities to children and youth in foster care who want to be adopted. Heart Gallery programs especially seek to facilitate connections with potential adoptive families for children and youth who typically have to wait longer for adoptions, such as older youth, sibling groups and/or children with higher medical needs. “We are so grateful to have the resources necessary to help connect our community to children wanting to be adopted,” said Jennifer Kremer-Oliva, director of the Heart Gallery of South Texas. “The Heart Gallery enables us to have an organized effort to increase adoption opportunities for our teens, sibling groups and children with special medical needs. Our hope is to engage our community to understand and support all children in foster care waiting for adoption.”
“We are excited to support the Heart Gallery of South Texas,” said Kori Gough, director of the Heart Galleries of Texas. “Prior to funding through the Heart Galleries of Texas, this region had no programming to help children wanting to be adopted. Heart Gallery programs play a critical role in helping youth in foster care connect with potential families, especially at the local level. The expansion is supported by funding from the Texas Legislature to increase the number of programs and consistency between programs. The Heart Galleries of Texas is housed within the Steve Hicks School of Social Work in collaboration with the Texas Center for Child and Family Studies. The Texas Women’s Commission, Office of the Speaker and Office of the First Lady have been strong supporters of the expansion of Heart Gallery programs. “We were inspired by the success of the heart gallery model in central Texas and set out to replicate its achievements statewide,” said Nathali Parker Weisman, Chair of the Texas Women’s Commission. “Today, we are thrilled to see how quickly this milestone was reached with programs now established in every corner of the state.” “The Heart Galleries of Texas is dedicated to enhancing communication with local foster care professionals, a crucial step in the ongoing commitment to improve adoption outcomes,” said Texas First Lady Cecilia Abbott. We look forward to the lasting positive impact on adoption outcomes for children and families across the state.”
