Their pictures speak for them, and the children all share a common need.

They want “forever homes,” and the dozens of photographs in the Heart Gallery of Alabama’s exhibit in the front gallery at Heritage Hall Museum take you to them.

The Heart Gallery of Alabama formed five years ago, the result of an inspiration felt by Michelle Bearman, executive director for the Birmingham based non-profit organization.

Bearman, who was working as a social worker at the time, said it was an article she read in Parade Magazine that started her effort to become an advocate for children in Alabama waiting for adoptive homes.

The story featured Diane Granito, a social worker in New Mexico who developed the project with professional photographer Cathy Maier Callahan to assemble a photo gallery of children there who needed homes.

Granito’s idea resulted in forming the Heart Gallery of America, with which Heart Gallery of Alabama is affiliated.

Close to 150 Alabama children have been adopted through the effort so far. The first exhibit of children’s portraits debuted at The Birmingham Museum of Art in 2005.

There are now approximately 7,000 children in foster care in Alabama, Bearman said, and of those, approximately 90 percent eventually return to their homes.

That leaves 10 percent, or roughly 700 children in the state who need homes.

“We work as their advocates to find homes,” Bearman said.

Bearman, an adoptive parent of two herself, and the Heart Gallery staff incorporate the skills of professional photographers who volunteer their skills to photograph the children. The result is a traveling exhibit of portraits that can speak for the children themselves.

“I was just ready to do something, and I was fortunate to be able to,” Bearman said, while delivering the exhibit to the museum in Talladega in late January. “A friend and I talked about how great this idea was and how we would like to see it take place in Alabama.”

They contacted Granito, who helped the women get into contact with individuals and organizations to help.

Now, the collection of photographs Bearman calls a “gallery of love” travels the state to connect children with families.

“Our slogan is there are no unwanted children, just unfound families,” Bearman said.

Heart Gallery of Alabama provides recruitment services for the children, partnering with the Children’s Aid Society and the Department of Human Resources for placement.

The collection of photographs at Heritage Hall museum features children from Talladega and St. Clair Counties.

There are typically more male children available for adoption than there are females, Bearman said.

Through the photographs, along with audio and video made available for prospective parents via the Heart Galley of Alabama web site, the children become more than a statistic to prospective families, Bearman said.

“The photographs show how real, unique and individual they are,” she said.

On the Heart Gallery web site, prospective adoptive parents can view the children’s pictures, and read a short biography about each child.

There is also a recorded message from each child, along with information about the adoption process.

The exhibit remains at Heritage Hall through February, and a reception for them exhibit will be held Tuesday, Feb. 23 at 5: 30 p.m.

You could be a foster parent in Alabama you are at least 19 years of age; you can provide a safe, comfortable atmosphere for the child; your home conforms to Alabama Minimum Standards for Foster Family Homes;. your home has enough space for the child and his or her belongings; all members of your family are willing to share their home with a child who needs care; all members of your family are in good health; all adults in the home are willing to undergo a thorough background check, including criminal history and you complete the 10 week Group Preparation and Selection (GPS) course through the Department of Human Resources

Throughout the GPS meetings, a mutual selection process will help you and your family decide if adoption is right for you, what type of child will fit best in your family, and assist you in assessing your families strengths and needs.

To be approved to adopt in Alabama, you must meet the above requirements as well if married, the marriage must be of at least 3 years duration and if a married couple, one spouse must be a U.S. citizen.

The St. Clair County Department of Human Resources has been working with Heart Gallery of Alabama since it formed, said Meredith Posey, senior social worker for the department.

“The Heart Gallery is a fantastic organization and Michelle has a true passion for permanency,” she said.

Recruitment efforts for adoptive families is being carried out in a number of ways, including giving presentation at local churches, posting banners, placing tray liners in restaurants and adding fliers in mail outs.

“We are getting the word out there however we can and we won’t stop until all of our children have a safe and loving place to call home,” Posey said.