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The Heart Gallery, a showcase of portraits of Westchester County children waiting for a permanent home, will be on display at the Riverfront Museum Dec. 5 through Dec. 7.
County officials said the idea is to draw attention to the need for adoptive and foster parents by showing "each child as he or she really is – a wonderful child in need of a second chance."
“The goal is literally to give a face to these children in need,” said Westchester County Executive Robert Astornio, who will be on hand for the 2 p.m. unveiling of the exhibit Wednesday. “And by doing so, help find loving homes for them.”
This is the eighth year the county, through the Department of Social Services, has participated in the nationwide effort to increase the number of adoptive families for children needing homes.
As of October, there were 181 children in Westchester eligible to be adopted, county officials said. While 22 of these children were given a home on Adoption Day in November, there are still more than 150 children who are waiting for that chance.
Some of these children are older, have siblings they can't be separated from or have special needs, making them more difficult to place, county officials said.
“The need is always there,” Astorino said in a statement. The county executive urged anyone who might be interested in becoming an adoptive or foster parent to call 2-1-1, United Way’s help line, for more information.
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