Photos touch heart, home

An exhibit combines children's portraits and voices with the hope that visitors will see family in those faces.

TAMPA - People go to the mall to find a new blouse, a video game, a pair of shoes - not a child.

But soon, shoppers may stroll up to a large photograph of Noah, wave an electronic wand over his face, and listen to his voice:

My name is Noah and I'm 11 years old. I like riding my bike. My bike's called a Mongoose and it's blue and it has pegs on the front and the back and I can do a catwalk on it. I'm good at it. The bike can go really fast too.

Beginning Friday, the faces of about 70 children waiting to be adopted will become part of the Heart Gallery, a photography exhibit that child advocates hope will touch the hearts of prospective parents. The photo collection will debut at the Ybor City offices of the Children's Board of Hillsborough County, and eventually travel to malls, churches and other locations.

Pictures of the children were taken by professional photographers donating their time, and show the kids in a range of emotions - some laughing, some with stony stares. They talk about the books they are reading, their dreams and their heroes. A few break into song.

Some who see the pictures may be unable to turn away without tears in their eyes - and that's exactly what organizers are hoping for. Because some of them may decide to adopt.

"Listening to a child speak is definitely going to be heart-moving and make people at least think about adopting or fostering a child," said Charise Bell, spokeswoman for the Children's Home in Tampa, one of the organizers.

"These pictures of these kids are just beautiful, they just connect to you as a human being," said Luanne Panacek, executive director of the Children's Board. "You look at them and you feel like they're looking back at you."

The project began last year as a Heart Gallery similar to those in a handful of other cities, a simple collection of photos of children available for adoption that were displayed in an art gallery, a local business and some churches.

Carolyn Eastman, spokeswoman for the Children's Board, was viewing an unrelated photography exhibit that featured recordings when "it just hit me right between the eyes, this is what we need to do with our kids, we need to give them a voice."

Adding the audio, Bell said, "is just an even greater tug at the heart."

The new exhibit, with photos and recordings, will be officially unveiled Friday by the Children's Board, the Children's Home and Hillsborough Kids.

Some 300 children are awaiting adoption in Hillsborough County. The kids aren't required to be part of the gallery.

Satin, a 10th-grader, wanted to participate.

When I was younger, I used to want to be a surgeon and last year I read this book (Gifted Hands) about this neurosurgeon that helped separate twins and that inspired me. But now I'm pushing more toward a chef or a doctor that delivers babies.

At 16, Satin is older than many children in foster care. Though she says she likes her foster home, she wanted to be a part of the gallery to see what could happen.

In a telephone interview, Satin said she thinks the pictures will be especially good for younger children because "they'll have a chance to get their life started earlier."

The Heart Gallery deals with an age-old question for workers in the child welfare system: how to find homes for the sometimes-forgotten children who have been permanently taken from their parents because of abuse or neglect.

For decades, workers have gotten the word out by old-fashioned, low-tech methods: brochures, public service announcements and word of mouth. They even hold "adoption picnics" so would-be moms and dads can chat with the children. Panacek, who has helped organize these picnics, thinks they are important, but also recognizes a downside.

There's always some kids who get little attention, who watch as the attention goes to someone else.

"There is just a part of it that really was difficult to handle, knowing it was hard for the kids," Panacek said.

More than 20 children were adopted last year by parents who first saw them through the original, audio-free version of the Heart Gallery, Bell said.

Jesse Miller, a Tampa photographer who has taken pictures for the Heart Gallery and coordinated a group of students whose photos will also be displayed, knows the pictures can have a profound effect. Her parents came to visit the gallery last year and walked away talking seriously about adopting a group of four children. (The kids were later adopted by someone else).

This year, Miller photographed a severely disabled boy named David. He lives in an assisted living facility, is blind and does not speak.

But David's face lights up when he hears the voices of his favorite nurses.

Miller took David's picture in hopes that someone will adopt him, even though he will probably not leave the facility where he lives.

"I think it would be great if somebody came to David's bedside every day when they got off work and just read to him," she said.

Curtis Krueger can be reached at krueger@sptimes.com or 813 226-3365.

The Heart Gallery can be viewed during regular business hours at the Children's Board of Hillsborough County at 1002 E Palm Ave. in Tampa. The opening will be 1 to 4 p.m. Friday. Groups can schedule visits, including after-hours tours, by calling (813) 229-2884. Future showings at other locations will be announced later.

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