This year, BEAR…A Resource for CPS Kids, a non-profit organization that provides hope and help to abused, neglected and at-risk children, launched its Heart Gallery program in Houston. Heart Gallery Houston is a traveling photographic exhibit and community education and awareness initiative created to help find forever homes for children in foster care awaiting adoption.
“We believe every child deserves the opportunity to experience the unconditional love of a family,” said MerriHahn, Manager of Heart Gallery Houston. “We are thrilled to have the Heart Gallery initiative present in Houston and hope that it will capture the attention of the city’s philanthropic community and ultimately raise awareness for our mission.”
According to a study from the NFYI (National Foster Youth Institute)in May of 2017, children that are not adopted and age out of the system, are left with an even greater chance of falling into the following statistics: 40 percent are homeless within the first year, 60 percent are in jail within the first year, 50 percent battle with substance abuse and 70 percent are pregnant or parenting by the age of 21.
Each day, over 3,000 children in Harris County, the largest county in Texas, wait for a family and a place to call home. Until now, Houston has been without BEAR’s most impactful initiative. Studies show that in communities with an established Heart Gallery, the hardest-to-place children go from a one percent chance of being adopted to more than a 60 percent chance of adoption due to their photo being displayed in the traveling exhibit.
With the help of local businesses and professional photographers who volunteer their time, these heartfelt canvas photos bring life to the faces of children that long to find a forever family and a life of stability and love.
Professional photographer and current bear volunteer, Barbara Perlick, have grown very passionate about Heart GalleryHouston’s mission and its children. Using her creative talent, Perlick incorporates tangible elements that relate to each child’s interests or hobbies into their photo.
“I hope that by telling each of their stories through my photography, potential parents will get a glimpse of a child’s personality and feel more connected based on their common interests,” said Perlick. “Volunteering with Heart Gallery Houston has been an incredible experience as I’ve had the opportunity to spend time with these amazing children. I can’t think of anything more rewarding than potentially helping a child find a loving forever home. I encourage fellow philanthropists, creatives, business owners and Houstonians to get involved in any way they can.”
Heart Gallery Houston… A Program of BEAR
Heart Gallery Houston is a traveling photographic exhibit and community education and awareness initiative created to help find forever homes for children in foster care awaiting adoption. With the help of local businesses and professional photographers who volunteer their time, these heartfelt canvas photos bring life to the faces of children that long to find a forever family and a life of stability and love. For more information, please visit: https://heartgalleryhouston.org/.
About BEAR…Be A Resource for CPS Kids
BEAR…A Resource for CPS Kids is a non-profit organization that provides emergency items to abused and neglected children under the care of Child Protective Services (CPS) in Harris County and the 12 surrounding counties. Many of the children are removed from their homes under emergency conditions with only the clothes they have on their backs. BEAR addresses the emergency needs of these children through four core programs: BEAR Necessities, BEARing Gifts, BEAR Back to School, and Heart Gallery Houston. For more information, please visit: https://bearesourcehouston.org/.
About Barbara Perlick Photography:
Houstonian and professional photographer Barbara Perlickhas had a passion for taking photos her entire life and founded Barbara Perlick Photography in 2017. Perlickstrives to tell stories through her photographs with the hope that her work evokes emotion, leaving clients with art they can cherish forever. Her versatility as an artist is demonstrated through her portfolio, which includes a broad range of subjects, from street photography to portraits, most of which are photographed in black and white. Over the years, Perlick’s consistency and creativity has led her to complete amazing projects, including, a series of photographs commissioned by Houston Astros owner Jim Crane for his restaurant Potente, as well as a beautiful piece that raised $35,000 in an auction benefitting Hope Rising and Houston20, two nonprofit organizations advocating against sex-trafficking. Perlick is a member of Professional Photographers of America (PPA). Her work can be previewed at her website, https://www.barbaraperlickphotography.com/
