These kids need a home

Travelers at LaGuardia Airport making their way home during the holiday season will see photos of foster children who are hoping to find their homes.
Heart Gallery NYC is presenting a mini exhibition, “A Home for the Holidays,” at LaGuardia Airport Marketplace, through January 5. A part of the organization’s mission is to “help New York City children living in foster care realize their dream of finding permanent, loving adoptive families to call their own.”
Through Heart Gallery, the children get their photos taken by professional photographers that are exhibited in various venues. “A Home for the Holidays” features “photographs of some of the hardest-to-place foster children.”
Recently, some of the children went to LaGuardia Airport, where they got to meet Mr. Met, have lunch, and go on a tour of the marketplace. They were also given $50 gift certificates to shop with.
Aisha, 18, said that she wants exposure from having her photograph displayed so that someone will come get her.
“It [finding a ‘forever’ home] means to find a family, my own family,” she said. “That’d be very important.
Heart Gallery NYC Executive Director Laurie Sherman Graff said that when the organization does the exhibitions they look for high traffic areas to show in. That is why the airport, and Penn Station and Grand Central Station before that, were selected.
“We’re hoping that people will open their hearts during the holiday season to the kids,” Graff said.
Margherite LaMorte, the manager of Marketing & Customer Service for MarketPlace Development, said she saw the exhibition and thought it was lovely, adding that the photos were vibrant and did a good job of showcasing the children.
“It’s a great cause,” LaMorte said. “We love that it’s here in our space.”
Another one of the children, 19-year-old Shanta, said that when people see her photo they want them to recognize someone who is smart and knows right from wrong. She wants to find a foster home that would be perfect for her and where she could be her best and achieve more goals. Shanta also said she wants to spend time with the family and show them her kindness.
For more information on Heart Gallery NYC, visit www.heartgallerynyc.org or call 212-965-8699.