GIFT FOR A CHILD/HEART GALLERY SOUTHEAST KICKS OFF NATIONAL ADOPTION MONTH ACTIVITIES BEGINNING AT ZOO ATLANTA

The Gift for a Child " Heart Gallery Tour" launched Saturday bringing photos of children awaiting adoption to Zoo Atlanta. The gallery, which began its preview tour in May at the Concourse (King/Queen Building) will be on exhibit at the Zoo from 10AM – 2PM during the State of Georgia’s 11th Annual Adoption Celebration.

In honor of National Adoption Month, the Heart Gallery Georgia will travel to select venues during the next few weeks with scheduled stops to include the Zoo, Federal Building, Fulton County Courthouse and Imagine It! The Children’s Museum of Atlanta.
The Heart Gallery features photos of Georgia foster children who are in need of permanent, adoptive homes. The photos were taken by professional photographers who donated their time and talent to create photos that depict the personality and spirit of each child. The gallery is sponsored by NOVA Information Systems and Gift for a Child in collaboration with the Georgia Department of Human Resources (DFCS). Thirty-seven of the 100 children featured in the Heart Gallery Georgia exhibit that launched in May are now headed towards adoption.

“This exhibit provides an opportunity for prospective parents in Georgia and nationwide who have considered adoption to learn more about the process,” said Rene Gunn, executive director of Gift for a Child/Heart Gallery Southeast. “By working together with communities, corporations, child welfare agencies and child advocates, we hope to help many children in foster care find permanent, loving families that they deserve.”

"November is National Adoption Awareness Month in Georgia and the Heart Gallery Tour provides a perfect opportunity to celebrate the lives of adoptive parents and help raise awareness about the need for permanent homes for children in foster care," said Pamela A. Joseph, chairman of the board at Gift for a Child and chief executive officer at Atlanta-based NOVA Information Systems.

NOVA is involved with many initiatives supporting children and is the premier sponsor of Gift for a Child/Heart Gallery programs in Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee and North Carolina. In Tennessee, a similar Gift for a Child exhibit of foster children recently ended a 9-city preview tour.
In addition to the support from Atlanta-based NOVA Information Systems, Gift for a Child/Heart Gallery events are supported by other local organizations dedicated to improving the lives of children, including the Department of Family and Children Services, Powell Goldstein, Cousins Properties, Offset Atlanta, Soho Myriad, Color Genesis, myPhotopipe.com, SoloFlight Design, Trent Cox Design, Trinity Gallery, Marketing Central, American Color Graphics and more than 100 professional photographers.

National Adoption Month celebrations sponsored by Gift for a Child include activities to focus on adoption and educate would-be parents about the adoption process, support for adoptive parents and opportunities to meet families of adopted children.

- Zoo Atlanta – November 4
- Federal Building – November 15
- Wachovia Building – November 16
- Fulton County Courthouse – November 18
- Imagine It! The Children’s Museum of Atlanta – November 18

About Gift For A Child, Inc.
Gift for a Child Inc. is a non-profit organization dedicated to raising awareness and finding permanent homes for children in foster care needing a family, a home and a future. The organization works with child welfare agencies, businesses, schools and churches to bring the community closer to the reality that there are thousands of children who need help finding a family they can call their own. For more information about Gift for a Child, go to www.giftforachild.org.

About The Heart Gallery Southeast Program
The Heart Gallery Southeast Program is an adoption recruitment program of Gift for a Child, Inc. designed to raise awareness and educate the community concerning the urgent need for foster and adoptive families, especially boys and girls for whom finding forever families is more difficult: sibling groups, special needs, minority and older children.

Heart Gallery Photographers
The following professional photographers, listed in alphabetical order, are giving their time and energy to advance the cause and visibility of foster children throughout the Southeast:

Corinne Adams, Neal Ammons, Mark Bocci, Bill Boley, Ann Borden, Jerry Borwick, WA Bridges, Ivette Brito, Charles Brooks, Tom Burke, Judy Cannon, Dean Carothers, Carole Cole, Owen Cobb, Jason Connel, Jennifer Connelly, Johnny Crawford, Jean Phillipe Cypress, Marta Dobrzeniecka, Rene Eason, Pam Wood Ellis, Mike Fesmire, Jan Fields, Donna Farnsworth, Caroline Foster, Melissa Fortenbery, Kevin Garrett, Jarrett Gaza, Norm Gilbert, Jenni Girtman, Ben Gray, Beth Gwinn, Kerry Halasz, Caitlin Harris, Laura Heath, Ronald Hewitt, Chris Hollo, Bita Honarvar, Catherine Huch, Hal Jaffee, Marti Jeffers, David Johnson, Alex Jones, Holly Jones, Jane Kerr, Eileen Kirk, Karin Koser, Eddie Lambert, Sheilah Lansky, Stanley Leary, Scott Lee, Mary Mahon-Fordis, Steve Marks, Jon Morgan, Stephanie Mullins, Kathy Nesbit, Christine Patterson-Winter, Bob Patterson, Lindsey Perry, Jean Philipe, Pam Pitt, Liz Power, Terry Power, Richard Ramsey, Linda Rathke, Sheri Reno, Alexis Robbins, Bob Schatz, Pamela Robertson, Billy Ross, Ken Ross, Seth Ruff, Kevin Russell, Christine Schaffer, Sara Schultz, Nola Schwartz, Minla Shields, Jan Shivley, Jerry Siegel, Diana Simpson, Jason Simpson, Elizabeth Smith, Kimberly Smith, Victor Smith, Spencer Smith, Shyla Smithey, John Spink, Wayne St. John, Tom Stanford, Andrea Taylor, Wade Tiption, Don Tritt, Jessica Tucker, Mark Turner, Beth Valentine, Hassel Weems, Michele Williams, Steve Williams, Michelle Winter Johnson, Ned White, Vino Wong, Shannon Wright, and Bard Wrisley.

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