A Family For Every Child Executive Director Christy Obie-Barrett has been elected to serve as the Heart Gallery of America President for the 2010-2012 term. Christy, who will take office during the Summer 2012 timeframe, said about her election:
I feel honored and privileged to step up into the role of Heart Gallery
of America's President, summer of 2010. In many ways, although the
first
Heart Gallery® was born in New Mexico in March 2001, thanks to the generosity,
hard work and determination of Diane Granito, we as a National Gallery
are
young and full of potential.
Our goals are to develop a Heart Gallery® of America Coalition.
The goal
of Heart Gallery® of America Coalition is to increase the impact, influence
and effectiveness of each Heart Gallery® nationwide, and to promote,
strengthen and advance the cause of raising awareness and finding loving,
adoptive families for children in foster care in need of "forever homes"..
Some of our most immediate detailed tasks are:
- Heart Gallery® of America web site updated and rebuilt, this is
our
most powerful outreach tool to all galleries. We plan to enhance
it by
aggregating the photos and useful information to encourage the use and
promote it as a destination and tool for all new and on-going Galleries
- Quarterly Heart Gallery® of America newsletter distributed to Heart
Galleries across the nation.
- Heart Gallery® of America survey distributed to Heart Galleries
to
update information, and determine needs.
- Regional Directors to assist more closely new and existing Heart
Galleries in their Region.
- Preparation for First Annual Heart Gallery® of America Portrait
Exhibit,
to take place in November, National Adoption Month, featuring portrait
s from
Heart Galleries nationwide.
- Launch of a national media campaign promoting the first annual Heart
Gallery® of America Portrait Exhibit, and raising awareness about the needs
of foster children.
With 118,000 children waiting for families around the nation, the
task
of finding homes for all of them can seem daunting. Yet, Heart Galleries
across the United States have been a part of over 5,000 adoptions with 4,500
photographers and over 20,000 volunteers supporting this tremendous
achievement.
Diane Granito could not have said it better: "By having these
children step from the shadows into the light, however, Heart Gallery®
planners and supporters like you can help find homes for them, one child
or
sibling group at a time. Thanks to your hard work, generosity and support,
many children are one step closer to being in the best portrait of all:
a
family portrait which includes them, safe and happy and looking forward
to the
bright futures they deserve"
I look forward to my continuing and expanding role with this
very
important work!
Christy Obie-Barrett
