October 5, 2007
For Immediate Release
Contact: Susan Trien, 585-410-6359, strien@museumofplay.org

Open your heart. Open your home.

That’s the message Children Awaiting Parents (CAP) seeks to impart at The Heart Gallery of Rochester and the Southern Tier, an exhibit of 35 photographs of children in need of adoptive families on view at Strong National Museum of Play® during National Adoption Month from November 2–30, 2007. In addition, a Monroe County Foster Parent Recruitment Program touch-screen kiosk will provide interested individuals with information on foster parenting and adoption.

A cadre of twenty-five professional photographers from the area volunteered to take the pictures on display in The Heart Gallery. Each portrait attempts to capture that child’s unique personality. Some of the children have been photographed with their favorite animals, such as horses or dogs; others were photographed while participating in a favorite activity. Brief descriptions about each child accompany these portraits.

“It is our hope that these portraits will capture the hearts of families who will decide to become THE family for each of these children and youth,” says Maryjane Link, Executive Director of CAP.

The first Heart Gallery took place in New Mexico in 2001. Since then, the concept has been replicated across the country. The majority of the children in the program are aged 10 or older, live in either residential care facilities or in area foster homes, and are in need of permanent families. Some of the children may be part of a sibling group.

CAP is a national not-for-profit charitable organization that recruits foster and adoptive families for special needs children who have been waiting the longest for a "forever" family. Nationally, the organization has brought together more than 5,000 children and families in their 35 years of service.

CAP presents The Heart Gallery of Rochester and the Southern Tier in partnership with the New York State Office of Children and Family Services; Monroe County Family Court; Adoption Resource Network at Hillside; Monroe County Department of Human Services; Chemung County Department of Social Services; Steuben County Department of Social Services; and the Professional Development Program, Research Foundation at SUNY Albany.

The Heart Gallery display is included with general museum admission fees. For more information about CAP, visit www.ChildrenAwaitingParents.org.

Strong National Museum of Play®, located in downtown Rochester, New York, is the only museum in the world devoted to the study of play as it illuminates American popular culture.

Regular Hours:
Monday–Thursday, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.;
Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; Sunday, 12:00 noon to 5:00 p.m.
Admission Fees:
General Admission (does not include Dancing Wings Butterfly Garden®):
Adults $9.00; Seniors $8.00; Children (2–17) $7.00; Children younger than two free; Strong members free.
Admission to Dancing Wings Butterfly Garden®:
General Admission fee plus $3.00 per person for members and nonmembers; Children younger than two free.
Due to limited capacity, entry to Dancing Wings Butterfly Garden is by timed tickets only. Advance purchase is recommended. Please call 585-263-2700 to purchase timed tickets.
Parking:
Free parking is available at the museum for all guests on a first-come, first-served basis. Please note that, on high visitation days, the museum lot may reach capacity early in the day. If space is not available on site at the time of your visit, you will be directed to additional parking at neighboring municipal garages (fees may apply).