Valley-based nonprofit, Helen’s Hope Chest, has partnered up with the Johnjay and Rich #LoveUp Foundation and the Children’s Heart Gallery to facilitate a series of events this year designed to help foster youth find their new forever families.
The Children’s Heart Gallery (CHG), a website operated by the Arizona Department of Child Safety, features pictures and biographies of children in foster care designed to highlight the things that make them lovable and special. The goal of the CHG is to create an online space where potential adoptive parents may become inspired to further pursue the adoption process. For the past five years, #LoveUp has helped make CHG photo shoots possible by funding and coordinating a team of volunteers, professional hair stylists, photographers, and more.
Helen’s Hope Chest (HHC) has recently joined the network of sponsors with a commitment to providing two brand new outfits for each child to wear during their photoshoots. HHC has been operating a free clothing and personal needs distribution service for Arizona’s foster children since the financial crisis of 2009 and is excited to apply that expertise to a fun and unique project like CHG.
The next #LoveUp and Children’s Heart Gallery event will take place on August 17th. Thanks to the generosity of the LoveUp Foundation, children are treated to a special day of pampering while having their stories professionally written for their Heart Gallery profile. Helen’s Hope Chest provides brand new outfits for the children to pick from for their photo shoots.
HHC is in need of financial contributions and donations of new clothing to ensure each child has a meaningful and successful Heart Gallery experience. Donations of clothing appropriate for children age 7-18 can be made at 126 E. University Dr. Mesa, AZ 85201 between 9:00am-4:00pm Monday-Thursday and Saturdays. Financial contributions will qualify for the Arizona Foster Care Tax Credit and can be made at bit.ly/hhc-love.
“The need for initiatives like the Children’s Heart Gallery is greater now than ever before. Arizona currently has nearly 6,500 kids eligible for adoption who will spend an average of two to five years waiting to find the perfect match. The goal of this new partnership is to help these kids find an amazing new family and put the foster care experience behind them.” – Katie Pompay, Executive Director, Helen’s Hope Chest.
