New Mexico's Heart Gallery Heightens Awareness and Interest

Diane Granito is a foster and adoptive parent recruiter for New Mexico's Children, Youth and Families Department (CYFD). Eighteen months ago she assumed responsibility for organizing an unusual recruitment project: getting professional photographers to create artistic portraits of waiting children for a traveling portrait gallery. Through Diane's work, and contributions from co-workers and the community, New Mexico's Heart Gallery exhibit has been a huge success.

Photographs can take us to places we have never been, show things we might never see, help us to relate to things we might not be able to understand. They can make us desire, feel, empathize. They can make us laugh, cry, be angry or sad. Most importantly, they can make us active, move us to action, to change. Hopefully that is what this group of photographs can do: inspire some action. -Eric Swanson, 2001 Heart Gallery photographer

On March 9, 2001, the New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department (CYFD) brought the expression "a picture is worth a thousand words" to life. On that day, the first annual "Heart Gallery" exhibit opened at the prestigious Gerald Peters Gallery in Sante Fe. An unprecedented crowd of 1,200 people gathered at the opening to see stirring, professional portraits of children in CYFD custody who needed permanent homes. At the opening, and as they have toured around the state, the Heart Gallery portraits have inspired heightened interest in foster care and adoption, and drawn national attention.

Ellie Ortiz, supervisor of the foster and adoptive parent recruitment team, first thought of the idea. At the time, she was on a mission to improve child photos that appear in CYFD's waiting child magazine and on the web. Ellie was working through personal contacts to find Sante Fe photographers willing to take creative photos when it occurred to her that a gallery show would fit in perfectly with the town's artistic reputation. As the Sante Fe-based member of the recruitment team, I was assigned to bring her vision to life.

Located through connections, referrals, and dedicated hunting, more than 40 noted photographers-including world-renowned Joyce Tenneson-and Sante Fe sculptor Linda Strong donated their time and talent to create about 50 poignant portraits of New Mexico's waiting children. The exhibit gave CYFD and the children a chance to reach out to prospective adoptive parents, and afforded the community a singularly beautiful way to learn about foster care and adoption.

To attract prospective parents to the opening and subsequent showings, we sent invitations to everyone in the Sante Fe and Albuquerque areas who had previously inquired about adoption or foster care. We also ran print ads in local newspapers, and purchased 10-second television spots. The NBC affiliate in Albuquerque then promoted the event on their morning show for a week, and anchor Monica Armenta spoke at the opening reception. We deliberately left out mention of a featured performer in our general advertising to avoid drawing people who might care only about the food and entertainment.

Reporters from the Associated Press covered the Heart Gallery opening in Sante Fe, as did staff from CameraArts magazine, numerous other publications, and local television stations. During the event, country music star Randy Travis serenaded the children and their foster parents, and various speakers talked about foster care and adoption from different perspectives. Perhaps most moving were a teenage girl who spoke of her desire for a loving home, and a young man who shared the story of his adoptive father's death.

At every Heart Gallery showing, CYFD staff answered questions, and provided application information to those who expressed an interest in adopting or foster parenting. In all, the tour visited six New Mexico towns, and generated dozens of applications. (Sante Fe County received as many inquiries from the event as it usually receives in an entire year!) CYFD staff then entered prospective foster and adoptive parents' information into the inquiry system and followed up with information packets and phone calls.

The opening reception was touching and informative. Several participants said they never knew so many children in New Mexico were waiting for permanent homes. The exhibit also nudged those who already knew about foster care and adoption to take action. One Heart Gallery photographer was even inspired to adopt the 10-year-old girl she had photographed.

This unusual recruitment effort has been effective on other levels too. The Heart Gallery exhibit has raised general adoption awareness at each site, and CYFD has enjoyed overwhelmingly positive press coverage. Journalists have concentrated on the uniqueness of the project, the children and their needs, and how readers or viewers can help. The project has also garnered attention and praise from peers across the country. Family recruitment divisions in Dallas, New York City, Rhode Island, and Oklahoma City are already planning similar projects as a result of New Mexico's success.

The exhibit was almost entirely underwritten by local and national businesses. Artists donated their time, and business people who wanted to make a difference in children's lives donated gallery space, frames, plexiglass, matting work, printing (digital and darkroom), food and beverages, thank you gifts for artists, easels, and public address systems. CYFD paid only for ads, invitations, and programs.

Below is some advice, based on strategies I used, for those who want to launch a project like the Heart Gallery:

Teamwork

* Let social workers help you choose children who are suitable for the project. The children we chose became part of the team and really enjoyed the photo shoots and final portraits. Not all children, however, are right for this kind of recruitment, and no child should be involved against his or her will.
* Take advantage of team members' best skills. If one member is good at "schmoozing" and another likes to write, assign tasks accordingly.
* Enlist help from the local community (to pick up or deliver food, etc.).
* Make sure foster parents and workers will help prepare children for, and support them during, different aspects of the project.
* Ask others for input; it makes them feel more involved and invested, and may help you do your job better.
* Ask others for contacts and referrals. Many of our photographers were referred to us by their peers.
Keep everyone up to date. Group e-mails work well.

Donations

* First, locate your exhibit venue by promoting the public relations benefits of the exhibit (the venue is named in all ads and all media coverage). * The venue does not have to be a gallery. All you need is ample and attractive space, easy access, and plenty of parking.
* Get a few good portraits early on. They inspire people to donate and can be scanned for use in press releases, print ads, and other materials.
* Call prospective donors and follow-up with a faxed request or personal visit if they indicate interest.
* Be specific about what you want. For example: "Can you mat X number of portraits for us?"
* Inform sponsors that they will be thanked in writing and at the event.

Media

* Locate a media guide that lists your state's press contacts.
* Identify an ally at each media source (someone who has or was adopted, or is sympathetic to child welfare issues).
* Establish contact early so you have time to build interest.
* Carefully choose several children who can serve as "spokeskids." They should be able to interact with reporters and photojournalists fairly comfortably, and speak briefly at the event.
* Think big and small-national and local. One can often lead to the other.
* Tell radio stations about the event. Some may give you free time to talk about it. Television stations may also be willing to help, especially if you buy advertising spots and show producers the portraits' artistic and human appeal.

Celebrities

Celebrity support can increase your event's visibility and importance in the eyes of the public and the press. Including a celebrity also involves more work.

* Find out if any celebrities live in your area. They are more likely to attend than those who have to fly in.
* Go through proper channels. Call the Screen Actors Guild at 323-954-1600 for contact information (agents, managers, etc.). They limit the number of contacts they give out to each caller, but you can get around this by having co-workers call.
* Target celebrities who have a reputation for being involved with nonprofits, children's benefits, etc.
* Prepare a request letter to tell the contact about your organization, the purpose of the event, and exactly what the celebrity will be asked to do. Fax the letter to the celebrity contact if he or she expresses interest.
* If a celebrity will appear at the event, plan for space, refreshments, etc., to accommodate your expected audience. Though we did not mention Randy Travis in our general print ads, we did notify the foster and adoptive parents to whom we mailed invitations. That, I believe, increased the parents' attendance rate, and their appearance at the event with the Heart Gallery children is part of what made it so special.
* Ellie Ortiz, looking back on last year's Heart Gallery, says the project involved "serendipitous collaboration" with family, friends, co-workers, and the community. My own work on the Heart Gallery has truly been the most rewarding work I have ever done. I witnessed our community's generosity and our children's dreams crystallize into a truly inspiring event.

At the opening reception for the Albuquerque show, State Secretary Deborah Hartz declared, "the Heart Gallery is a unique opportunity for people to learn how they can make a difference in the life of a child through foster care or adoption." I am currently working on the next Heart Gallery-due to open in September 2002. If it is anything like the first one, it will be more than worth the time and effort we put into it. ]

Call 800-432-2075 to learn more about the Heart Gallery and New Mexico children who are available for adoption. To view other Heart Gallery photos, visit CYFD online at www.cyfd.org and click on "Special Events."