Last update 03/10/2010
Foster kids get to be princess for a day.
In early March of each year, A Family For Every Child sponsors the Princess Event, a chance for girls in foster care to be treated like royalty! Girls in foster care get a gown, slippers, a tiara, and a hairdo. Then they partake of one of the delicacies of royal life: a tea party and photo shoot, all in a luxurious Holiday Inn. Over 200 girls participated in this year's event.
facebook: A Family for Every Child “Heart Gallery” lends a helping hand to foster childrenEach year, A Family For Every Child works with 250 of the 1000 kids in the Lane County foster program.
First-Ever Event Draws 200 People to Help Foster Kids
The 5K run/walk raised money for programs that make life a little easier for foster kids and foster families, like Junior League's "A Caring Place."
Kids need care, not pills, ex-foster children tell panel
Miami Herald- Posted 6/19/2009
Kids in Crisis: Run Eugene Run
Registration for the 5K Run/Walk begins at 4:30 p.m. in Alton Baker Park. The race itself starts at 6:30 p.m.
Kids in Crisis: The Parent Test
Being a foster parent may not pay you back financially, but it has an emotional payout that few other jobs can offer.
Kids in Crisis: Making a Difference
If you're nervous about jumping into a full-time responsibility like being a foster parent, you should know there are other options.
Kids in Crisis: One Safe Return
Every month, about 30 Lane County children are taken out of their parents' homes and are placed in foster care.
Kids in Crisis: Budget Cut Kids
Lane County's foster care system is maxxed out. More children are coming in, but the amount of funding keeps dropping as the state mulls major budget cuts.
Kids in Crisis: The New Faces of Foster Care
Joshua and Melissa Scoglio are young parents hoping to change the life of one child at a time through foster parenting.
Univeristy of Oregon
Office of Communications 1239 University of Oregon, Eugene OR 97403-1239 - T 541-346-3134 - comm.uoregon.edu
(This information is available at: http://tinyurl.com/dhpjgo)
Local group’s website to make it easier to adopt foster children
Grant from University of Oregon class and Wells Fargo make it possible
Editor’s note: A check presentation ceremony will be held at 12:15 p.m. on Thursday, March 12, at Frazier Hearth, room 119, Hendricks Hall, 1408 University St. UO students, Wells Fargo and the founder of the grant recipient organization will be available for interviews.
EUGENE, Ore. -- (March 11, 2009) -- A new password-protected website will soon make it easier for families to find foster children available for adoption and submit their application, thanks to a Lane County nonprofit agency, a group of University of Oregon students, and Wells Fargo.
The students in a UO philanthropy class have chosen "A Family for Every Child" (AFFEC) to receive a $5,000 grant funded by Wells Fargo.
AFFEC is dedicated to finding loving, permanent families for every waiting Oregon foster child. The nonprofit group finds homes for Oregon children in foster care, assists potential adoptive families, families after they have adopted foster children, and works to improve the process through which eligible children are made available for adoption.
"We will use these funds to create a secure website that will display bulletins of children who are available for adoption. It will also enable prospective adoptive parents to upload their home studies for viewing by caseworkers," said Andrea Rippee, AFFEC board president.
"Currently there is not a protected website for Oregon children such as what we are planning to invest in," Rippee said. "When families turn in home studies, there is no way to save them in case they are not selected for the children they express interest in. They have to resubmit each time. This new site will eliminate that chore."
AFFEC plans to have the website launched within the next few months.
The Freshman Seminar in American Philanthropy class teaches students the process donors use to distribute charitable funds to non-profit agencies. This year students evaluated requests from 28 Lane County nonprofit agencies before narrowing the field to five finalists and choosing AFFEC as the sole grant recipient.
Wells Fargo has been funding the program since its inception in 2002 and has donated a total of $35,000 to community organizations in Lane County through this initiative.
"Helping our customers and communities succeed financially is Wells Fargo’s major goal as a company," said Dave Frosaker of Eugene, Wells Fargo’s senior regional trust manager. "Partnering with this class helps us identify worthy nonprofits in Lane County that, with our financial support, will provide the most benefit to this area."
About Wells Fargo & Company
Founded in 1852, Wells Fargo & Company is a diversified financial services company with $1.3 trillion in assets, providing banking, insurance, investments, mortgage and consumer finance through more than 11,000 stores, over 12,000 ATMs and the internet (wellsfargo.com) across North America and internationally. Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. has the highest credit rating currently given to U.S. banks by Moody’s Investors Service, "Aa1," and Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services, "AA+."
About the University of Oregon
The University of Oregon is a world-class teaching and research institution and Oregon's flagship public university. The UO is a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), an organization made up of the 62 leading public and private research institutions in the United States and Canada. The University of Oregon is one of only two AAU members in the Pacific Northwest.
Contacts: Julie Brown, UO, 541-346-3185, julbrown@uoregon.edu; Tom Unger, Wells Fargo, 503-886-2051, ungert@wellsfargo.com
KEZI Kids in Crisis
kezi.com/kidsincrisis
Kids in Crisis: More Kids Coming into Foster Care
Wednesday's Child: Meet the Thayers
Wednesday's Child: Meet the Hill Family
KVAL 13 NEWS - HEART GALLERY
Click here: KVAL 13 - Eugene, Oregon | Heart Gallery
Adopted Teens Face Higher Risk for ADHD
Retired car dealer helps Oregon foster kids
The Oregonian--3/23/2008
Why we choose the word "Adopted" with Christy Obie-Barrett
KVAL NEWS 3/14/2008
Christy Obie Barrett nominated
Nancy Grace Extradordinary Parent Contest
Scrapbookers unite!
KVAL NEWS 2/3/2008
Register Guard 02/18/2008--By Bill Bishop
Mentor, foster child form special partnership to carry into adulthood
Gallery helps children needing adoption
KVAL NEWS
The Creswell Chronicle
Heart Gallery kids seek Forever Families
Christy Obie-Barrett & Susan Schultheis talk about
Heart Gallery of Lane Co.
KVAL NEWS 11/13/2007
Christina Sutton talks about the Heart Gallery Mentor's Program
KVAL NEWS 11/13/2007
Barb Lerch talks about adoption of Heart Gallery child
KVAL NEWS 11/13/2007
For Immediate Release July 12, 2007
http://kidsarewaiting.org/news/files/NFCCrelease071207.pdf
 "The purpose behind the project, called the Heart Gallery, is to help find families for them by using professional photographers to personalize them -- to bring out the spirit and individuality that are all too often invisible in the typical shots that accompany the children's files once they have entered the foster care system."
MORE... http://abcnews.go.com/2020/AmericanFamily/story?id=1029490&page=1
 "This spring, Hiram's portrait will join those of more than 300 other New Jersey foster children at an exhibit titled Heart Gallery of New Jersey. If all goes well, adults who visit the exhibit (or view the photos online at www.heartgallerynj.com) will be moved to adopt."
MORE... http://www.heartgallerynj.com/news/people.html
 "Organizers hope that if more people see compelling portraits of Jaillah and other children like him - life-size and lively - more will consider adoption."
MORE... http://www.heartgallerynj.com/news/nyt.html
 "More than 150 photographers, including TIME contributors, have given their time and vision to produce a unique portfolio of children in need of parents."
MORE... http://www.time.com/time/photoessays/heartgallery/index.html
 They're photographing the children with the same dignity and respect that they would give to big stars and CEOs,' notes Feanny. 'They're bringing the same lights and assistants, the same backdrops.' One boy, she recalls, said to his social worker, 'I feel like a movie star."
MORE... http://www.heartgallerynj.com/news/parade.html
 "Nearly one hundred thirty thousand children in the U.S. public welfare system are waiting to be adopted. Most are eight years old, or even older. Now though, there is a new strategy to get them a home."
watch the video clip (4:24) >>
 "I'm just waiting for the perfect home. I just, just keep waiting for the perfect one at the right time. Maybe when I get older, I might take a foster kid and adopt them so if I'm not going to get helped, I'm going to help someone else. So any way I win."
Watch the short segment from CNN American Morning (3:32) >>
 "The hope is that these photographs will inspire people to consider adoption."
http://www.heartgallerynj.com/news/todayshow.html
Aging Out of Foster Care
http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=2033650
"The Heart Gallery" helps kids find homes- New Mexico
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15333562
Longing for another heart--The Oregonian newspaper
A show of children's sweet portraits aims to entice
adoptions
Friday, February 16, 2007
KATY MULDOON
http://www.oregonlive.com/living/oregonian/index.ssf?/
base/living/1171504539240630.xml&coll=7
A Family For Every Child Announces
Christy Obie-Barrett appointed to newly formed National Heart Gallery Board
Christy Obie Barrett, President of A Family for Every Child, and Director of the Heart Gallery of Lane County, has accepted the invitation to join the National Heart Gallery Board. She will be presenting workshops at the first national Heart Gallery conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico at the end of August. Heart Galleries are an innovative adoption recruitment tool using positive portraits of children needing adoptive homes.
Christy will have national impact on adoption recruitment practices.
The Heart Gallery of Lane County has been instrumental in the placing of 28 children in adoptive homes during the past year. Heart Galleries were started five years ago and are currently active in 50 states. To learn more please visit Lanecountyheartgallery.org.
Heart Galleries of America Conference
Aug. 25--28
New Mexico
A Family For Every Child
Local organization to lead the charge in innovative adoption programs
A Family for Every Child is a grass roots volunteer organization dedicated to finding loving permanent families for every waiting child. Our vision is to transform the way permanency is built into the lives of Oregon's foster children.
To meet this goal A Family for Every Child is building several programs. In November 2006, Christy Obie-Barrett introduced the Heart Gallery to Lane County. Obie-Barrett is the mother of twelve children, nine of whom are adopted. She became aware of the success of Heart Galleries across the nation and decided to bring the concept to her hometown of Eugene. Professional photographers are recruited to take meaningful and compelling portraits of Oregon children hoping to be adopted. The portraits are on display in a variety of venues where prospective parents can learn more about these special children. The Heart Gallery of Lane County has inspired many people to begin the adoption process. As of August 2007, thirty out of thirty-three children originally featured in the Heart Gallery have found adoptive families. Home study rates for DHS quadrupled and the foster adopt classes jumped from 15 to 80 participants.
The Heart Gallery's close involvement in the community has resulted in our increased awareness of the needs of foster children and adoptive families. Since its conception, A Family for Every Child has started the following programs to address those needs maintaining the common goal of loving permanency for every child.
The Heart Gallery Mentor program was created because of the interest generated from Lane County Heart Gallery. The Heart Gallery featured three youth in foster care that were asking for mentors. Community members were inspired by this one exhibit; over twenty people came forward to help. The mentors work with the foster youth on independent living skills and help instill in them the independence, confidence, and everyday life skills they need to live a productive and successful life out on their own and to have a smooth transition out of the Foster Care system. Our desire is to create, engage and encourage everlasting, unconditional support and unbreakable bonds for the youth.
Alternatively, the new Family Building program offers mentor support to potential adoptive families. Community members who have previously adopted are matched with families just starting the process in order to create a network of support. This program was created in response to the 95% drop off rate from adoption orientation to finalization of an adoption. Many families want to adopt but never complete the process. We want to find out why and do what we can to help these families bring a child into their home. We will also offer information about other forms of support, resources and trainings that are available for the family.
Another innovative new program seeks to fill the need of foster children to find family connections. A Family for Every Child paid to bring nationally known trainer, Kevin Campbell, to present Family Finding Training in LaneCounty. The Family Finding process gives trainees the knowledge and ability to find lost or disconnected family members of children in the Foster Care system. In some cases this program connects the child to someone that wants to be a permanent figure in the child's life as an adoptive parent or in other ways offer support such as, family medical history, family reunions, family photos, and family connections. This training is primarily for LaneCounty caseworkers and also includes CASA volunteers, A Family for Every Child volunteers and Heart Gallery of Lane County volunteers.
Subset programs have also emerged including outreach to the Faith based community. A Family for Every Child saw potential in reaching out to a different church each month and bringing our Heart Gallery to their congregation. Local churches are provided a DVD presentation, bulletin insert materials and a manned exhibit during Church Services.
A Family for Every Child strives to bring effective programs to Oregon that will support and advocate for children in Foster Care needing adoptive homes. The goal is permanency; every child deserves to have a loving home where they feel safe.
News Release
April 2007
Non-profit offers training for state workers and volunteers on finding
long lost family members of foster children
(Eugene, Ore.) - The Heart Gallery of Lane County, together with the Eugene-based non-profit, A Family for Every Child, is sponsoring a family finding training for Oregon Department of Human Services staff as well as volunteers from CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) and A Family for Every Child.
The training will take place on Friday, April 20, at Selco Community Credit Union, 925 Harlow Road, Springfield. The media is invited to conduct interviews at the training during the lunch hour at 11:45 a.m. Christina Sutton, a former foster child who is now a foster parent herself, is also available for media interviews regarding the foster care system on Friday by calling 513-3514.
This cutting edge family finding program is an exciting approach to finding connections for foster children. The training focuses on reaching out to disconnected families using computer search techniques, and reconnecting isolated foster children with lost family and friends.
The problems that cause parents to lose custody of their children often also cause broken and severed connections with extended family, explained Christy Obie-Barrett, founder of the Heart Gallery of Lane County. Frequently, there are grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and family friends who want to know where their lost relative is and have a supportive connection with them,†she added.
The wonderful support received from the Eugene/Springfield community after the Heart Gallery of Lane County opened last October provided A Family for Every Child with the funds to bring nationally renowned speaker Kevin Campbell to Lane County to train a group of DHS staff and volunteers in family finding techniques. Campbell uses computer search techniques to find the families of foster children, and often comes up with more than fifty names of family members. Campbell will be teaching the group how to reach out to disconnected families as well as how to prepare children to meet lost family.
Kevin Campbell has been training people all over the country in family finding. He was recently featured on 60 Minutes, and we are fortunate to have him coming to Lane County. A Family for Every Child felt that this would be one of the most powerful programs we could bring to our community to support DHS and our foster children, said Obie-Barrett.
The staff and volunteers will be working on behalf of foster children who have lost their connections. They will focus on older teens who will be aging out of foster care and have no one to help them navigate life after age 18. Oregon DHS will screen potential contacts to make sure they are appropriate.
On a side note, after two siblings were recently featured as the Lane County Heart Galley Children of the Month, several relatives of the children contacted Obie-Barrett to tell her that they had lost contact with them. The family members said they were told the siblings had been adopted when actually they had been in foster care for ten years. These family members are now working with the caseworker to establish contact with them.
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