The Center for Children and Families in Louisiana yesterday officially opened its "Heart Gallery", which showcases the portraits of 26 local children who are available for adoption through the Office of Community Services.

"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,' [Erin] 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."

Heart Galleries in other communities have been shown to increase adoption rates by as much as 40 percent. The Louisiana Center for Children and Families is hoping for similar results. Professional photographers donated their time to take both portrait and candid pictures of the children. Read more online.

Labels: adoption_rates, awareness, support