100 Waiting Children

The Heart Gallery of New Jersey, Inc. is a unique not-for-profit corporation dedicated to raising awareness about foster children available for adoption. Through the volunteer efforts of some of the country's most prestigious photographers, portraits are taken that help capture the individuality and spirit of each foster child who is eligible to be adopted. These photographs are then shared via the web and through gallery exhibits in the hope that potential families will be moved to inquire about adoption.

Don't miss the Heart Gallery's opening night video!

We're pleased to introduce you to Khalil and the other 99 children who comprise the "100 Waiting Children", a Heart Gallery of New Jersey Special Exhibition. These children have lived in the New Jersey foster system the longest. Most are well into their teens and still long for permanent homes before they turn 18 years old. With the new addition of video bios, we think you'll be amazed by their maturity, strength and overall, a longing for a forever family.

Meet Khalil :

Marc
© 2007 Martin Schoeller

Khalil learned to roller skate when he was 7. It didn't come easy to him. He fell plenty of times. But he kept getting back up.

"After a while, I got the hang of it," he said. "It's fun."

Now, Khalil is a young teen. He's not sure how many foster families he has stayed with, and it has been quite some time since he has seen his two brothers and two sisters.

Soft-spoken and shy, Khalil is a diligent student. "You learn things and improve yourself," he said. He considers himself neat and respectful.

His proudest achievement is making the honor roll. That's something he's done often, he said. Math is his favorite subject and someday he would like to be an accountant. Khalil likes to read and watch movies. He's taking a drama class. His favorite role? It was playing a judge. He even had a gavel to bang.

If someone gave him $1 million, Khalil says he wouldn't keep the money. "I'd give it to someone who needs it," he said.

Now that you've met Khalil, why not take a moment to meet the rest of the 100 Waiting Children?

Child of the Month

Ashley
© 2008 Greg Miller

April's Child of the Month is Nathan. Something about working in a garden makes Nathan feel good. He doesn't mind getting dirty and he looks forward to the beauty of the flowers when they bloom. Learn more about Nathan on his profile page.

Latest News

The Heart Gallery's Newest Project: Do1Thing

April 10th, 2009

HGNJ's Project Do 1 Thing Featured in People Magazine

HGNJ's project to raise awareness for the 1.3 million homeless youth in America featured in People Magazine. Did you know that 3 out of every 10 homeless adults admit to a history in foster care?

We believe that if everyone did 1 thing on 1 day for 1 cause, great change would come. Would you join us in helping these vulnerable youth?

Join us on Facebook Causes

Follow us on TWITTER to get up to date alerts on our work. Read the Do 1 Thing blog as we share updates, photostories and first hand accounts from homeless teens.

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Take action

Here are some things you can do right now to get involved!