HEART GALLERY OF JACKSONVILLE PHOTOGRAPHERS SELECTED TO EXHIBIT IN OPENING OF NATIONAL HEART GALLERY

Jacksonville, FL – Three stunning portraits from the Heart Gallery of Jacksonville were selected to be included in the National Heart Gallery and the Washington D.C. Heart Gallery which will unveil on November 1, 2005 in Union Station and the Russell Senate building, both in Washington D.C.
Local photographers Elizabeth Nicole, Joy Lee and Kinder Cannon captured the riveting faces of three special Jacksonville’s First Coast children searching to find a “forever family.”
The "Collaboration to Adopt Us Kids" (fka The Collaboration to Adopt US Kids), Adoption Exchange and the National Heart Gallery portrait committee, selected 50 portraits for each of the galleries from the more than 300 that were submitted by Heart Galleries across the country.
During it’s two-week exhibit, more than 80,000 people will pass by the Union Station display each day, and the gallery of the Russell Senate building, where U.S. Senators are housed, is spectacular––complete with columns and other impressive architectural detail. The display will create awareness to politicians and tourists alike.

Nicole’s photograph of Brandon will be included in the Union Station exhibit and she will receive a personal invitation to attend the November 1 opening reception at B. Smith's Restaurant in Union Station.

“I would like to thank all of the Heart Gallery groups who submitted their incredible portraits for consideration for these two exhibits. Your work brought smiles to our faces, or tears to our eyes...sometimes both at once! Each portrait, like each child, is beautiful and deserving of a special place in the world,” said Diane Granito, National Heart Gallery coordinator.
The Heart Gallery of Jacksonville was designed by Family Support Services of North Florida, the lead agency for Duval County, serving over 3,000 children in care through 135 caseworkers and in over 450 foster homes. The organization was established in May 2002 as a private 501(c)(3) agency to deliver services to children and families in District IV who come under the jurisdiction of the Dependency Court.