Photographs of children and youth who are currently waiting in state custody for their forever families will be on display in the windows of 15 stores on the Church Street Marketplace in Burlington during the first week of May, National Foster Care Month. Lund hosted a press conference on Church St Marketplace this morning to promote this initiative. Wanda Audette, Lund’s Director of Adoption and Co-Director of Project Family, spoke to the gathered crowd and was joined by Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger, Gillie Hopkins – Permanency Planning Manager at the Department for Children and Families and Co-Director of Project Family, and Mike Archambault owner of Karlise Fine Jewelers.
The photos are part of The Heart Gallery — a traveling photo exhibit featuring portraits and short biographies of children waiting for adoptive families. Displaying the Heart Gallery in one of the busiest places in Vermont puts real names and faces to the children in need of families and helps raise awareness of the need for foster and adoptive families throughout the state.
“At this moment , 131 of Vermont’s most vulnerable youth do not have the stability and unconditional love of a forever family,” said Wanda Audette, Lund’s Director of Adoption and Co-Director of Project Family. Project Family is an award winning 18-year collaboration between Lund and the Vermont Department for Children and Families that finds forever families for children.
“These kids are Vermont kids and it’s everyone’s responsibility to help them. While not everyone can open their home to a child, everyone can do something. There are many stops on the road to permanence and we need help along each one. For example, folks can get educated about the need for adoptive families, help spread the word and become a mentor for a child. If having the Heart Gallery displayed on the Church Street Marketplace makes a difference for just one child, it will be a success,” said Wanda.
“I applaud the courage of the youth who are participating in this photo exhibition,” said DCF Commissioner Ken Schatz in a written statement. “They have put faces and stories to a real issue we face in Vermont: an all-time high number of children and youth waiting in foster care for permanent homes. We need communities across Vermont to come together for these children.”
“Lund provides critical services to Vermont children who need forever families,” said Mike Archambault, whose business is hosting a Heart Gallery portrait this week. “The business owners of Church Street and I believe that strong families are the backbone of Vermont. We are fortunate to have the Church Street Marketplace family support this great cause.”
If you are in Burlington this week, look out for the Heart Gallery on Church St.
