First Lady Cecilia Abbott last night hosted a Heart Gallery event with attorney and child advocate Kim Phelan and the Governor’s Commission for Women at the Governor’s Mansion in Austin for members of the Texas Legislative Ladies and Texas Senate Ladies clubs. Believing one photo can change a life, the foster and adoption outreach Heart Gallery program displays professional portraits in local communities of children and sibling groups who dream of finding a “forever family.”
“As adoptive parents, Greg and I know firsthand the immeasurable joy of being a forever family,” said First Lady Abbott. “That is why we believe so strongly in promoting fostering and adoption. I am pleased to be joined by Kim and members of the Texas legislative family for this special event, especially as we celebrate May as Foster Care Month. To meet the needs of foster children in Texas, our mission requires a Network of Nurture – a community of individuals and families, local leaders, nonprofit organizations, businesses, faith community members, and anyone willing to open their hands, their hearts, or their homes to children and families in need of permanence.”
The First Lady and the Governor’s Commission for Women are proud supporters of the foster and adoption outreach programs of the Heart Gallery. The Heart Gallery portrait displays are hosted by groups, organizations, or businesses throughout communities across Texas to connect families interested in adoption with children in the care of the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services and Child Protective Services (CPS). At the core of the foster and adoption outreach is a simple but powerful portrait of each child that says, “I am here. I am special.”
The First Lady, Kim Phelan, wife of Speaker Dade Phelan, and their guests also assembled gift bags with summer supplies for Rainbow Rooms across the state. Rainbow Rooms are 24/7 resource centers usually located within local CPS offices that are often the first stop for CPS caseworkers before they visit children whose lives have been turned upside down and are in need of foster care.
Find out more about the Heart Gallery program and how you can get involved in the First Lady’s Network of Nurture:
https://www.dfps.texas.gov/Adoption_and_Foster_Care/Texas_Heart_Galleries/default.asp
https://gov.texas.gov/first-lady/network-of-nurture
Resources for foster and adoptive parents can be found by visiting https://www.dfps.texas.gov/I_Am/foster-parent.asp
To donate to Rainbow Rooms across the state, visit https://www.dfps.texas.gov/Child_Protection/Rainbow_Rooms/default.asp