100 Waiting Children

A Special Photograpic Exhibition from the Heart Gallery of New Jersey

The Historical Society of Princeton, in collaboration with the Princeton Public Library and the Arts Council of Princeton, presented 100 Waiting Children this summer. This powerful photographic exhibition is produced by the Heart Gallery of New Jersey and the New Jersey Department of Children and Families (DCF). The exhibition focuses on the 100 children who have been in New Jersey’s foster care system the longest and are in greatest need of finding a permanent home before they “age out” of the system. Some of these children are considered hard to adopt because of their age, special needs, or because they want to be adopted with their siblings. These children are available for adoption nationwide.

The Heart Gallery of New Jersey is a unique not-for-profit corporation dedicated to raising awareness about foster children available for adoption. Through the volunteer efforts of some of the country’s most prestigious photographers, portraits were taken that help capture the individuality and spirit of each foster child who is eligible for adoption. The photographs are then shared via the Web and through exhibitions that travel throughout the state in hopes that potential loving families will be moved to inquire about adoption. In Princeton, 100 Waiting Children will be exhibited at the Historical Society of Princeton’s headquarters, Bainbridge House, at 158 Nassau Street, and at the Princeton Public Library’s Witherspoon Street building.

The Heart Gallery idea began in New Mexico and quickly spread to other states. New Jersey is the site of the largest project to date. In 2005, the Heart Gallery of New Jersey photographed 346 of the state’s foster children. More than 100 have been adopted and many more are in the adoption process.

All children featured in the Heart Gallery participated with the permission of the DCF Division of Youth and Family Services (DYFS), the state child welfare agency responsible for their care. The photographers involved followed guidelines set by DYFS and the Heart Gallery and met with caseworkers responsible for the children chosen to be in the gallery.

For more information about the Heart Gallery of New Jersey, visit www.heartgallerynj.org
Exhibition Dates:          Tuesday, July 22 through Sunday, August 10, 2008

Exhibition Locations:   Historical Society of Princeton, 158 Nassau Street, Princeton, NJ
                                    Princeton Public Library, 65 Witherspoon Street, Princeton, NJ

Contacts:

Historical Society of Princeton: Eileen Morales, 609-921-6748 or eileen@princetonhistory.org
Princeton Public Library, Tim Quinn, 609-924-9529 x258 or TQuinn@princetonlibrary.org
Arts Council of Princeton: Maria Evans, 609-924-8777, mevans@artscouncilofprinceton.org

Heart Gallery: Janina Hecht, 908-334-2474 or janina@heartgallerynj.com