Dad was adopted as a child; Mom spent years in foster care but never found an adoptive home
Pinellas County, April 11, 2012 ? Chris and Tammy Dunne knew they weren?t finished being parents.? Facing an empty home after raising their own children and knowing they still had much love to give, the Dunnes opened their home and their hearts to adoption.? Both will be on hand to share their touching story at an upcoming gala to celebrate the unveiling of the newest Heart Gallery of Pinellas & Pasco.
Having already raised two daughters of their own and having experienced what it was like to be adopted or spend time in foster care as children themselves, the Dunnes decided to explore adoption.? While visiting the Heart Gallery website, they were captivated by the portrait of four young brothers with mischievous smiles ? John (8), Aaron (10), Trisden (12), and Galyn (14).? ?In foster care as a result of parental abuse and neglect and found living in a hotel room at the time they were removed from their parents, the boys spent five long years in foster care ? often living apart from their siblings ? before meeting the Dunne family.? This year, the boys will celebrate their first birthdays together as part of a new, permanent family!
The Dunnes will share their story at a special Heart Gallery event, ?Celebrate Me Home?, on May 3rd at the Hilton, St. Petersburg Bayfront.? The event begins at 5:30 p.m. with a reception, featuring ?Heartini? cocktails and a silent auction. Ryane Shields, wife of Tampa Bay Rays pitcher James Shields, will unveil the new travelling Heart Gallery exhibit with a ribbon cutting, in conjunction with Rays? mascot, Raymond.? Ashley Rhodes-Courter, who was adopted at age 14 after spending nine years in foster care, will be the featured program speaker. Event tickets are $75 per person; sponsorships are still available. ?To purchase tickets online visit www.celebrate-me-home.org.
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The Heart Gallery of Pinellas & Pasco has helped create 121 new families in less than six years by featuring professional portraits of foster children in need of forever families on a traveling exhibit and website.? For more success stories or to see children available for adoption, please visit www.heartgallerykids.org.? For more information about the Heart Gallery or ?Celebrate Me Home? event, contact Kristin Brett at (727) 744-2020 or kbrett@heartgallerykids.org.
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About the Heart Gallery of Pinellas and Pasco: The Heart Gallery, in partnership with Eckerd Community Alternatives, aims to provide an emotionally safe way to connect children with families through a traveling exhibit featuring the faces and stories of local foster children ready for adoption. Over one hundred kids between the ages of one and 18 have taken part in the Pinellas and Pasco Heart Gallery since June 2006, and over 40 portraits of new children are being added. Since its inception, 129 children have found their ?forever? families and another 9 are matched or visiting.
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Heart Gallery of Pinellas & Pasco:??? www.heartgallerykids.org
?Celebrate Me Home? Event: ????????? www.celebrate-me-home.org
Eckerd Community Alternatives: ???? www.eckerdcbc.org
Ashley Rhodes-Courter Website:????? www.rhodes-courter.com
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