Heart Gallery Success
By KVALIt's a day similar to others. It's one foot in front of the other for Christie Barrett, the Executive Director of a Family for Every Child and the Lane County Heart Gallery. Her agency has been given the job of finding homes for Oregon's hardest to place children in foster care... and she's doing it. Multimedia"So, 50 at any given time of the very hardest to place kids, whether they're on the adoption track or permanent foster care, so the kids who have been waiting the longest, those are the ones that we're dealing with," said Barrett. Barrett said by taking a different path to adoption, she's found permanent homes for these hardest to place children. "We've had success because we have this great window to the community, the Heart Gallery. I became very aware of families that would fit well into that program, so I'm talking to them anyway, so I can easily engage them in that conversation as well," said Barrett. Barrett adds that one of the benefits of going through the Heart Gallery is that families don't have to go through the committee process, which can be emotionally difficult. One child we featured in a Heart Gallery story, Samie, is now in a long-term home thanks to the Heart Gallery. Another key to the success is the Heart Gallery website, where the recruitment for some children is as specific as finding a family at the child's same school. It's been just over two years since the Heart Gallery kicked off. Barrett said she thought things would settle down, but she's still waiting."No lie, it's crazy, it's crazy!" Most Popular |
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February 9, 2012
- Coos Bay / North Bend, Oregon
