Pitt's Child Welfare Training Program in Mechanicsburg, Pa., to Host Photo Exhibition of the Faces of Children Needing Adoption

PITTSBURGH-A University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work (SSW) program seeks to raise awareness about child adoption by hosting a traveling photo exhibition of some older Pennsylvania children seeking adoptive homes.

The "Pennsylvania Heart Gallery" exhibition will be on display Oct. 1-5 in the lobby of the building that houses the Pennsylvania Child Welfare Training Program (CWTP), 403 E. Winding Hill Rd., Mechanicsburg, Pa. The CWTP, managed by Pitt's School of Social Work, trains and provides technical support to child welfare caseworkers throughout the state.

The "Pennsylvania Heart Gallery" features 50 portraits taken by photographers who donated their services. Each portrait is accompanied by a detailed profile of the child, including information about his or her interests, personality, and dreams.

"We have a lot of visitors to our building, not just child welfare caseworkers," says Lynn Keltz, head of the practice improvement unit in CWTP's Department of Organizational Effectiveness. "We have human services professionals, community groups, and people from the medical profession who come through. We see it as an opportunity for us to help raise awareness of these children."

All of the children are age 10 and older and in foster care. The goal is to match them with families with whom they will live for six months before adoption proceedings begin.

Modeled after a concept created in New Mexico and developed and launched last year by the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare, the "Pennsylvania Heart Gallery" is on its second statewide tour, having been shown in malls, fairs, and at the State Capitol. Of the 50 faces shown in the original exhibition, half of those children have been placed with adoptive homes. There are currently more than 20,000 children living in foster care throughout Pennsylvania, of which 3,300 are waiting to be adopted. For more information about the Pennsylvania Heart Gallery, call 717-795-9048, 1-800-585-7926, or visit www.adoptpakids.org.

On a related note, Pitt's Oakland campus in Pittsburgh will host the second International Conference on Adoption and Culture Oct. 11-14. For more information, visit www.english.pitt.edu/events/AdoptionandCulture/index.html.

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9/25/07/tmw