The Colorado Heart Gallery Proves a Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words

The following is sponsored content by Raise the Future.

Founded in 2005, the Colorado Heart Gallery is a collaboration of the Colorado Department of Human Services and nonprofit organization Raise the Future. A “heart gallery” is a traveling photo display and website featuring children in foster care waiting to find permanent homes, but more than that, it forms a bridge to connect those kids and potential permanent caregivers. According to Cailin Nava, recruitment coordinator for the Colorado Heart Gallery, “We recruit for youth to find permanency through adoption.”

The collaborative program arranges photo shoots with professional photographers for children in foster care. In honor of its twentieth anniversary and to recognize November as National Adoption Month, the Colorado Heart Gallery has made a new video that delves into the layered significance of these photos to both the children and their future families. For anyone in the community curious about Colorado’s foster care system, it’s a must-watch. 

There are approximately 300 kids in foster care in Colorado waiting to be matched with permanent homes, and not enough foster families to care for them. That’s where the Colorado Heart Gallery’s compassionate volunteer photographers step in to help highlight the individuality of each child, showing that they’re more than what’s in a case file. “Having professional photos shows the kids in a better light than maybe a photo that was taken in a facility or by a caseworker. So having these photos that show the light of the youth, showcasing them in a different way, helps with finding permanency for them,” explains Nava.

By creating a safe space for the kids to freely express themselves, the photographers are able to capture the authentic personality of each child. They can choose to show off their interests, pose with a favorite toy, make a silly face, or do whatever makes them feel seen. “These kiddos are just like any other kiddos. They deserve a home, and having these photos and showing them in a light where they’re playing or having fun really shows you that these youth are more than just a statistic,” says Nava. Adds Breanna Major, a caseworker featured in the Colorado Heart Gallery’s anniversary video: “It’s not just a head shot. It’s a window into who these kids truly are.”

The Colorado Heart Gallery has seen firsthand the real impact that professional photographs have for youth waiting to find permanent homes. Since 2005, more than 1,000 kids have been photographed for the gallery, and since 2014, nearly 400 kids who have been featured in it have found permanency. But the photographs are not just about boosting recruitment. Most children in foster care have very few photos of themselves, so being able to work with a professional photographer isn’t just empowering in the moment; it also gives them a tangible memory to look back on that they might not otherwise have. The organization has had many former foster children return to them as adults and ask for copies of their Heart Gallery photos, because they were the only childhood photos they ever had. 

The Colorado Heart Gallery’s new video features volunteer photographers Chad Chisholm, Monico Candelaria, Jermaine Amado and Colleen Baz, plus caseworker Major, talking about their experiences working with youth in foster care. “The twentieth-anniversary video highlights who we are, what we do, and has our real volunteers talking about what it is and why they’re a part of it,” Nava says. “When people learn who we are and what we do, it really opens up their ideas about the foster care system and permanency.” The photographers in the video are visibly moved by the work they’ve done with the Colorado Heart Gallery and get emotional reading thank-you notes from children who were adopted after being photographed. Chisholm, who was adopted himself, shares that he’s had the chance to take full family portraits of kids he originally photographed for the Heart Gallery with their permanent families, a true full-circle moment for him. Ultimately, the goal is to use these photos to spread awareness about foster care and adoption through the foster care system, with the hope that they’ll lead to more permanent placements. 

Even if someone is unable to be a permanent caregiver, there are other ways to help the Colorado Heart Gallery further its mission. Something as simple as sharing the video can help get the word out, and the organization is always looking for new spaces to use, as well. “We ask venues around the state if we can host our photo shoots there, and they’re always so willing to donate their space,” Nava emphasizes. “We have a photo wall we put up in different venues, and it has the youth photos on it so people can look on our website and inquire. We’ve had those walls and banners at over 100 different venues around the state.” 

While the Colorado Heart Gallery is unable to accept donations, people can contribute financially by donating to Raise the Future, or by donating their time or space. “Because we work throughout the entire state, we need photographers in different regions,” notes Nava. “So if they’re professional photographers, they can volunteer, or if anyone has a venue where we could host a photo shoot, or a banner or photo wall, those are other ways they can help. Ever since COVID, people don’t have as much physical space to host things anymore, so if people do have that, that would be great.” What the Colorado Heart Gallery gives to children in foster care is more than just a photograph. It’s a sense of hope, autonomy, individuality, and a chance to be seen, chosen and loved.