Fort Wayne & NE Indiana News

The latest positive news written by residents and organizations in our community.
Business

November National Adoption Month Event: Heart Gallery At Brookside Church In Ft. Wayne November 2 – 16

The Indiana Heart Gallery, a traveling exhibit featuring compelling portraits of children in need of adoptive families, is stopping in Ft. Wayne. The Gallery will be featured at the Brookside Church November 2 – 16. The Indiana Department of Child Services (DCS) uses the Heart Gallery’s remarkable professional portraits and stories about foster children in Indiana to help put a face on a sometimes invisible need and remind families that adoption can change lives. There is no charge to see the Gallery.

Brookside Church is hosting a special Orphan Sunday (http://orphansunday.org/) event to raise awareness about foster adoption. On Orphan Sunday, thousands of events will echo across America and around the globe, to stand for the orphan. The local Adoption Champion will partner with the Heart Gallery to be present during the church’s Orphan Sunday celebration to answer questions and share information.

Location: Brookside Church

https://brookside.org/

6102 Evard Rd.

Ft. Wayne, IN 46835

Available: Monday – Thursday 8:00am – 4:30pm; Friday 8:30am – 12:30pm; and during Sunday Services 8:00am, 9:30am, 11:00am

Additional Adoption Information

· The 2015 National Adoption Month will focus on the adoption of older youth currently in foster care—because “We Never Outgrow the Need for Family."

· DCS and our partners focus year around on finding permanent families for older youth through resources such as the Indiana Heart Gallery and The Picture Book. Both profile and share stories of older youth currently in foster care and available for adoption. These stories and additional information about the Indiana Adoption Program are on the DCS adoption web page at www.adoptachild.in.gov, or you can call 888.25ADOPT.

· The national trend shows fewer adoptions and this holds true in Indiana. In State fiscal Year (SFY) 2009 there were 1577 adoptions, compared to SFY 2015, when the total number of finalized adoptions was 1245. One can only speculate the reasons, but these numbers also shed light on the need to bring more awareness to the need for adoption.