Gallery features children available for adoption by Scott Rogers - posted Wednesday, April 11th, 2007 @ 7:07 am  E-mail Story |  Print Story  Almost every day in northeastern Louisiana, a child somewhere is removed from his or her home because of abuse or neglect. To help address the issue, the Center for Children and Families has begun a public awareness campaign to let residents know about the hundreds of local children who need a permanent family. Tuesday night was the grand opening of the center's "Heart Gallery" at the Children's Museum in Monroe. The gallery showcases portraits of 26 local children who are available for adoption through the Office of Community Services. Erin Stokes, the center's public relations coordinator, said four area photographers donated their time to take pictures of these children in their natural environment. One shows a close up of a young girl with a captivating smile. Others show children playing with some of their favorite toys or hanging out with siblings who also are available for adoption. The goal of the gallery is to "elicit support for and interest in the lives of these children and ultimately find each child and sibling group a forever family," Stokes said. "This gallery will be ongoing, moving from venue to venue, and as long as we have children here who have not been adopted, we will keep moving," Stokes said. She said other heart galleries held in the United States over the past several years have led to adoption increases in those communities by 40 percent. Stokes hopes Northeast Louisiana's Heart Gallery will boast even better increases at the local adoptions unit. Currently there are 56 children, ages 5 to 16, available for adoption through the local adoption unit at OCS, Stokes said. OCS gave the center permission to showcase 26 of those children. "The majority of them are over the age of 11," Stokes said, adding that it is much harder to find adoptive parents for older children. "That's why we got permission from the adoptions unit for these children because all of their resources have been evaporated. These are the children whose every last venue (for adoption) has been checked, and there's no one out there to adopt them," Stokes continued. "That's why we decided to show the community that there are children right here who need a home. "Instead of going overseas or going elsewhere (to adopt a child) we want people to look right here in our own parish." CASA of Northeast Louisiana works with local children who have been abused or neglected. Many children who enter the state's care eventually become available for adoption. Once a child is removed from his or her home, OCS works with the parents or guardian while the child remains in foster care. If the child's parent or guardian fails to complete OCS' requirements, the state can have that person's rights as a parent terminated in state court. The child then becomes available for adoption. The main goal of OCS throughout the process is to reunite the child with his or her family. "We hope to get people here to volunteer with CASA while there is still hope for children to go back to their biological parent; or they can become foster/adoptive parents with the adoptions unit. We want people to have a lot of options. If they come (to the gallery) they will see many ways they can help not just these 26 children, but the hundreds of children in our area who drastically need somebody," Stokes said. The Heart Gallery is a collaborative effort between CASA of Northeast Louisiana and the Adoptions Unit of the Office of Community Services. It is being sponsored by the Monroe and West Monroe Kiwanis clubs. The gallery is free to the public and will remain at the Children's Museum for the next two weeks. Then, the gallery will move to area churches and organizations interested in hosting the event. For more information about hosting the gallery, or to learn how to become a foster/adoptive parent, call the Center for Children and Families at 398-0945.