STATE News:
Albuquerque – Governor Susana Martinez today announced digital billboards that will promote adoption of New Mexico foster kids. The billboards begin running next Monday throughout the Albuquerque metro area and were donated by Clear Channel Outdoor. They raise awareness about CYFD’s Heart Gallery and will run until next March.
CYFD Cabinet Secretary Yolanda Deines and representatives of Clear Channel Outdoor joined the governor Friday to introduce the new digital billboard PSAs dedicated to familiarizing individuals from Albuquerque and its surrounding areas with The Heart Gallery of New Mexico. The CYFD program raises awareness about older foster children and sibling groups in state protective custody who are ready for adoption. The ads will direct people to heartgallerynm.org, with photos and information about children who are available for adoption and are searching for their forever families.
“Having the ability to make thousands of New Mexicans aware of The New Mexico Heart Gallery is a wonderful new tool in our never-ending efforts to find these foster children Forever Families,” Martinez said. “CYFD’s Heart Gallery helps bring together parents with older children in foster care who want and deserve a family to call their own.”
Clear Channel Outdoors donated the digital billboard space for the Heart Gallery ads. The advertisements will help raise awareness to thousands of New Mexico drivers travelling through Albuquerque and its surrounding areas about the Heart Gallery and heartgallernm.org.
As of September, there were more than 1,900 New Mexican children in foster care, 91 are available for adoption through CYFD and 65 precent do not have any prospective parents and are waiting for an adoptive home.
“We still have plenty of work to do when it comes to finding families for children in foster care,” Martinez said. “Regardless of the age of these children or the fact that sibling groups are in need of one home, it is a driving goal for Secretary Deines and New Mexico’s child welfare professionals to find all of these children forever families.”
“Clear Channel Outdoor is honored to support The Heart Gallery of New Mexico as we recognize the vital role it plays in improving the lives young people,” said VJ Smith, Clear Channel’s president of Albuquerque/El Paso Divisions. “We all win as the Heart Gallery of New Mexico endeavors tirelessly in its initiatives to encourage adoption through foster care. Our commitment is more that words its action. We are happy to make available our advertising medium to provide the messaging and recognition this cause deserves.”
“There is always a challenge in finding a permanent placement for older children and siblings,” Deines said. “We are very grateful to Clear Channel Communications Inc. for providing us the opportunity to make many people aware of our Heart Gallery and we are sure that these ads will play a big role in helping find our eligible foster children Forever Families.’”
There are 13 permanent Heart Gallery exhibits throughout New Mexico. In 2013 alone, six new permanent Heart Gallery exhibits have gone up around the state.
The Heart Gallery of New Mexico is a CYFD program that raises awareness about older foster children and sibling groups in protective custody who are ready for adoption. Talented photographers donate their time to create compelling and unique portraits of the children, which appear in exhibits across the state as well as in the online Heart Gallery on the CYFD website, www.heartgallerynm.org.
New Mexicans interested in becoming adoptive or foster parents can call 1-800-432-2075, or visit www.cyfd.org.
