ST. JOSEPH - "What I want for myself in this life is a family . . . . ."

The statement above was made by 16 year-old Danielle, who is waiting to be adopted. Many of us take being part of a family for granted. A family provides the simplest comforts like having someone who cares where you are and asks, "How was your day?"

Today in Michigan there are more than 4,000 children without families. These children wait and hope every day for someone to adopt them and give them families of their own. Most of these children are not newborns or infants, but older children; many live with the trauma of abuse and neglect, have medical issues, or need special help.

Some of the children waiting to be adopted are featured in a heart-warming photographic exhibit called the Michigan Heart Gallery. The 2007 Michigan Heart Gallery will be on display from July 26 through August 10 at the Maud Preston Palenske Memorial Library, 500 Market Street, in St. Joseph. An exhibit opening is scheduled for Tuesday, July 31 from 4 - 6 p.m.

The Michigan Heart Gallery, a collaborative effort between the Michigan Adoption Resource Exchange, the Adoptive Family Support Network, and the Michigan Department of Human Services, seeks to bring our community closer to the faces and voices of children waiting for permanent homes. The Michigan Heart Gallery features professional photos of some of Michigan's waiting children, who come from various regions of the state. Recruitment activities such as the Heart Gallery remind people that there are many children in Michigan who are waiting to be adopted.

The photographs in the Heart Gallery were taken by dozens of professional photographers who donated their time, talent and resources to take portraits that help capture the spirit of children in the foster care system. The Heart Gallery allows these children to be seen in an artistic, poignant and tasteful photographic exhibit. These kids were actively involved in the photo shoot experience some selecting which portrait to feature in the Heart Gallery, and others coming up with their own poses and settings.

"Most of the children featured in the Heart Gallery have been waiting for a long time to find a family of their own," Marianne Udow, director of the Michigan Department of Human Services, said. "While we hope children featured in the exhibit will find families, the larger goal of the Heart Gallery is to promote the idea of caring for and adopting children from the foster care system. We know from experience that if these children are not seen, and if we do not continue to educate the public about older children, who need families, then they may be forgotten. The Heart Gallery is an amazing undertaking and we are thrilled the public will have an opportunity to view these portraits, get to know the children and possibly take action to see if adoption may be right for them."

These waiting children have simple requests. "I would like to live with a nice family that would let me play on the football team," explains one boy. "My best thoughts about getting a family is that I hope they are nice," shares another.

Some of the children in the Michigan Heart Gallery have been waiting to be adopted for several years and are now teenagers. Each year, approximately 450 Michigan children between the ages of 18 and 21, leave the foster care system because of their age. These youths do not have a family to stand up at their wedding, a place to go home for the holidays, or a family safety net of any kind. The Michigan Heart Gallery seeks to encourage prospective parents to adopt an older child, so these children can have a vital connection to a supportive adult during adolescence, as young adults, and beyond.

Another piece of the Heart Gallery is a small sampling of portraits of successful adoptive families. The Heart Gallery features three families that have opened their hearts and homes to children from the foster care system.

"These families show others that it is possible to build a wonderful family through adoption," Udow said. "Despite the rough times they might have faced in the past, they prove how much love and care can do for these children."

The Heart Gallery concept was initially founded by the New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department in 2001 as a way to help foster children in protective custody who are waiting for adoptive families find the families they desire. Since 2001, the Heart Gallery has expanded to other states and cities.