Pittsburgh Heart Gallery

The Heart Gallery was originated by Diane Granito, an Adoption Recruiter for the state of New Mexico, and opened for the first time in March, 2001. Used as a Child Specific and general recruiting tool, the gallery’s objective is to capture the essence of those children who prove to be more difficult to place.  TRAC has enlisted the time and talent of many area photographers to help capture these children.  This year TRAC thanks the Ron Richards Studio for their commitment to this project and to the children it serves.  The Heart Gallery is a traveling exhibit that is able to be seen throughout the Pittsburgh Community.

For more information about any of the children featured in the Heart Gallery,

please call Khalilah Martin at 412-471-8722

Joseph - Age: 11

Joseph is a very nice and sweet young man. He has a great sense of humor and likes to joke around. He also has a great smile that tends to get him things he wants or even get him out of trouble!  Joseph likes to stay active and do a lot of different things.  He likes to run around and play basketball.  He also likes to play board games and arcade games.  He says he doesn’t like to play football, but he does like to watch it.
Joseph is going to be in 5th grade and he likes school. His favorite subjects are science and math and sometimes reading. Joseph also likes to eat a lot of typical kid food.  He likes pizza, spaghetti and hot pockets. He says he does not like chicken alfredo because of the white sauce. Joseph 's favorite colors are red, orange and yellow.  He likes to listen to all types of music and watch different TV shows.  Joseph also like to watch a lot of different types of movies, but couldn’t really give a specific favorite.
Joseph would like a two parent family with an older brother and he would like a dog.  Joseph needs a family who can help him work on the things that can sometimes trigger his anger.  Joseph is not yet legally free for adoption, but all families will be considered for him.

Jeremy - Age: 16

Jeremy is a handsome and athletic young man. He enjoys playing all types of sports, especially basketball, football, volleyball and ping-pong. His two favorite football teams are the Ohio State Buckeyes and the New England Patriots.
Jeremy likes art and music. He plays the flute and violin. Jeremy does well in school where he earns excellent grades. His favorite subject is English, and he loves to read and write. He keeps a journal of topics about books he would someday like to write about. He also writes short stories in his journal. Jeremy has created a board game and has designs for two more. He aspires to go to college and then law school.
Jeremy has a strong connection to his adopted sister. He would like to continue his contact and visitation with her once he finds his forever family.

Rita - Age: 14

Rita is active, friendly and outgoing; even though she will tell you that she is shy. Rita enjoys the typical things of a teenage girl. She enjoys playing games and hanging out with her friends. Reading is also a favorite past time of Rita’s. Rita enjoys going to church. Rita loves to play basketball and volleyball.
If given three wishes Rita says that she wishes she could live in a home environment, go back to public school and control her emotions better. Rita describes a family as someone who is there for you when you have a problem and people that care and love you.

Shelly - Age: 16

Steffi - Age: 18

Stephanie is an active young lady who enjoys swimming and playing basketball. She also likes shopping, eating at restaurants, playing video games and watching movies. Stephanie collects posters of rap artists and back issues of Word Up magazine. Her favorite color is pink, her favorite foods are cheeseburgers and pizza and she likes to drink milkshakes. Stephanie's goals are doing well in school and finding her forever family.

Tyler - Age: 15

Tyler is a handsome young man who has a great sense of humor and likes to joke around. Even though Tyler is shy when you first meet him, he makes friends quickly and is easy to talk to. Tyler enjoys listening to rap music and watching his favorite television shows on VH1. He enjoys eating out at restaurants, riding his bike, going to the mall and amusement parks. In his free time, Tyler likes playing computer games and surfing the Web. His favorite classes in school are math and art.
Tyler is excited about finding his forever family that will help him reach all of his goals. He would like to have a family that has pets and that will be patient and understanding.

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