November is National Adoption Awareness Month and as of September of this year, over 6,000 children in Texas are available for adoption, 100 of those children are available just in Webb County. To showcase the children, a special event was held last night highlighting photos of each child looking for a home. It was the opening of the 3rd Annual Heart Gallery.

"There are children here, locally, who are free, legally free, for adoption and ready to move into a home and have a warm, loving family to raise them." Judge Oscar Hale was one of the speakers at the heart gallery opening. He's hopeful that this program will help place the 100 children available to adopt within Webb county into loving homes. "As a matter of fact, this past Friday, I was able to consummate 18 adoptions in my courtroom."

One of the lead organizers with the heart gallery, Rose Banda, says the display helps promote community awareness to the need for adoptive parents around the South Texas region and state. "We're going to have 41 children featured in this gallery and it's going to run through next year." These photographs are just a small sample of the thousands of children statewide who are looking to become a forever family. "The children actually wrote their own bios, so you're going to hear the children tell their own story."

Banda says this gives the children a chance to tell their prospective parents what they feel is most important. She adds that there is a mix of emotions from the children, especially the large group of siblings and the older children. "The ones that do shy away feel 'who would want me? I'm old already. I'm too old to be adopted.' They have that mindset."

Those interested in adopting these children were able to ask questions and get more information from adoption agencies on hand.

The keynote speaker of the night and adoption advocate, State Representative Richard Raymond, was happy to be on hand talking about an issue he's passionate about. "One of the things I've done a lot as legislator is to try to help kids that want a family and to help families that want kids." If he could tell the children looking for homes one thing, he would tell them: "There are people in this world that love you. That's what I'd tell them. And I think they'll find people who love them. Never forget that."