SAN ANTONIO — San Antonio is the hub for the newest city non profit initiative for area kids within the child welfare system, THRU Project's Heart Gallery.
The program covers the Alamo City and around the great state of Texas from the likes of Del Rio to the south and west to Victoria to the south and east.
"We are working with our key stakeholders from the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services and SJRC to identify youth who are ready to tell their stories and find their 'Forever Family' in the community," said program director Emily Marcotte.
Essentially the Heart Gallery, through pictures, allows the children themselves to tell their stories with the hopes of connecting with perspective families that will hopefully their hearts and homes to those in need.
"The way it works is they (the kids) choose to be in the gallery," Marcotte said. "They choose to have their pictures taken and to have their stories told."
The exhibits are both permanent and pop-up galleries at location events across the community.
The hope is to recruit foster and adoptive families that may want to become their forever home.
THRU project has stakeholder support in San Antonio and around the region as children from around south Texas are featured in the gallery.
"Everyone comes together to collaborate and share best practices so this can be a really successful version of 'Heart Gallery,' Marcotte said.
There are some different ways to see the gallery if you'd like. Anyone can visit thruproject.org and view the gallery, or you could also call the office to schedule some time to get by and view the pictures in person. They're right on the wall as you enter the office. You can see the pictures up and close and read each individual bio!