Viewing the Heart Gallery. From Left to Right: Andrea Harrison, COG Vice Chair and Prince George's County Council Member, Penelope Gross, COG Chairman and Fairfax County Supervisor, and Kwame Brown, COG Vice Chair and District of Columbia Councilmember.

The Freddie Mac Foundation Heart Gallery, which features portraits of children in foster care who are waiting to be adopted, is on display in the lobby of the COG building until January 30, 2009.

In addition to the photographs, the display includes personal information about the children, all of whom are hoping to find a permanent family of their own. These children are just a few of the half a million children in foster care in this country. All of the children featured in the Heart Gallery are from the metropolitan Washington region.

Many of the children featured in this exhibit have been featured on the Wednesday’s Child program coordinated by COG, the Freddie Mac Foundation, and NBC 4. The Heart Gallery exhibit has traveled around the metropolitan Washington region since November 2005. To date, 34 children have been adopted.

Michael Knapp, Montgomery County Councilmember and 2008 Chair of the COG Board of Directors at the Heart Gallery.