The Heart Gallery of West Virginia will be on display in the 4-H Exhibit Hall at the Putnam County Fair from July 12 – 19, 2008.  The fair is located at the Ernest Page Jr. Fairgrounds in the Putnam County Park in Eleanor, WV. The Heart Gallery of WV is a traveling photography exhibit that features portraits of West Virginia foster children who are eligible for adoption. In the exhibit, audio of the children’s voices and information about them will accompany each photograph.

The exhibit, named “The Heart Gallery of West Virginia – Portraits of Hope”, seeks to bring a face and give a voice to children who need and deserve the love of a family. By sharing their stories, the Heart Gallery hopes to touch hearts and find families for the children ready for adoption. Recognizing the need to accomplish this goal, photographers volunteered their time and talent to create intimately compelling portraits of some of West Virginia’s waiting children.

The children featured in the Heart Gallery are typically considered the "hardest to place" — those who are older, teens, minorities, and/or in sibling groups. Many of the children featured have waited years for a family to give them a permanent home.  Of the one hundred children awaiting adoption in West Virginia, 12 children and three adoptive families are currently a part of the gallery.