Unique Exhibit Featuring Foster Children on the First Coast

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By Angela Spears
First Coast News

JACKSONVILLE, FL -- It's time once again for Operation Backpack. It's our annual drive to collect backpacks and gift cards for foster kids on the First Coast. There are thousands of foster kids living in our area.
More than 3,000 children are in the system in Duval County. The reasons why they are in foster care vary. Some are neglected, others are abused.

Who are the kids? You can see some of them for yourself at a gallery Downtown. It's called the Heart Gallery. It captures a more personal side of the kids who need a family.

Clinton Gilder is featured in the exhibit. He's a child who knows his fish. He knows where to catch them. "I can't fish there cause of all the seaweed." And when they're out he says, "Late in the morning bass come out."
This 15-year-old just loves fishing. Professional photographer, Kelly LaDuke captures his passion for the sport through her lens. "He is a special child and he needs to feel special and he needs to be presented in a special way."

Clinton has been in foster care most of his life. He's gone from home to home. Now he is experiencing his first professional photo shoot.

His picture will hang in the Heart Gallery, a traveling exhibit now located at the Jacksonville Landing, with many other children who want to be adopted. LaDuke tells First Coast News, "You're hoping to spark some kind of an interest in a future foster parent or someone, an adoptive parent, that see something in that child that other people don't see. I think that the Heart Gallery being the caliber of the images that are there really does help the community to see the gamut of kids from all different races and all different ages."

There are so many pictures with different poses. LaDuke has shot pictures for 7 children in the two years the gallery has been open on the First Coast. "I'm very passionate about my images and I want them to really look at that image and go I really like this picture of myself."

She and Clinton find a picture he likes. After that, it's back to the hook, the bait and what he likes to do the most... fish.

As for the Heart Gallery, it will be at the Landing for the next two months. As mentioned before, it opened almost two years ago. In that time, 28 children have been adopted.

Professional photographers, like LaDuke who has shot pictures of Denzel Washington and Tiger Woods, volunteer their time to get the shots.

You can check out the Heart Gallery and all the children by clicking on the link above or calling (904)421-5800.
For information on adopting a child or becoming foster parents click on the Family Support Services link.
Remember, Operation Backpack is Saturday, September 1st from 8 a.m. - 1 p.m. You can drop off a backpack and gift card for a child in foster care at area Kmart stores. For a list of the locations, click on the Operation Backpack icon on the home page.

If you are unable to make it Saturday, but would like to donate, you can do so online. All you have to do is click on that Operation Backpack icon.