Tremaine and Nathaniel

Photo by Cristine Baetz

"Affectionate" and "helpful" are two words used to describe Tremaine. He also has a great sense of humor and a natural curiosity about life. Tremaine likes coloring and drawing, doing puzzles, and playing football. He also has a strong attachment to his brother Nathaniel and enjoys spending time with him. Nathaniel is an intelligent and insightful child who thrives on attention from adult caregivers. He enjoys reading books, going out to eat or on family outings, and playing video games. Nathaniel also enjoys participating in church activities and spending time with his younger brother.

Click here to learn more about Tremaine and Nathaniel at mare.org

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Meet Matthew

Photo by Chris Holmes

With a twinkle in his eye and a mischievous grin on his face, you might be wondering what Matthew has up his sleeve. Chances are this talkative and friendly youth is thinking of a good story or joke to share to make someone smile! Matthew's inquisitive mind inspires him to ask questions about a variety of subjects and motivates him to share the knowledge he gains with others.

Matthew loves being outdoors and surrounding himself with living things. He is especially fond of animals and has enjoyed being around cats and dogs in his foster home. He likes to play sports and video games and has also enjoyed riding on motorcycles with his foster parents. Matthew says that he wants "a family that will do things with me."

Click here to learn more about Matthew at mare.org

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Bianca

Photo by Kathleen Galligan

Bianca can be a very outgoing, energetic, and fun-loving teen who enjoys listening to music, playing games and watching television. She can be shy but opens up quickly once she feels comfortable. Bianca has a goal of joining the military and then going to college.

Although unsure of what she wants to study in the future, she feels that continuing her education will be very important to her success in life. She says that she really enjoys going to school and has been working hard to improve her grades.

Bianca would like to have a two-parent family and would prefer older children in the home if possible so that she could “have someone to talk to.” It is also very important to Bianca to maintain the close relationship she enjoys with her brothers.

Click here to learn more about Bianca at mare.org

Click here to to see the full online gallery.

There are many different things we consider a success for The Michigan Heart Gallery.

Just the seemingly simple act of having a photographer create a child's portrait can provide one success, showing the child that they are important. Whether they are dressed up and in a photo studio, or dressed down and having run in a park, they realize our photographers have taken their time to give the kids a chance to shine. We make sure all of our kids get framed copies of their photos to have forever.

But our biggest success is when one of our kids is adopted into a family. Sometimes it's because of their appearance in The Michigan Heart Gallery, or through the Michigan Adoption Resource Exchange or even a foster parent realized they just don't want them to leave. Whatever why it happens, it's our hope it brings them a better life.

Since the opening of the current Heart Gallery exhibit, we've had 21 of our featured children become matched with a family. Being is matched is the first step toward adopting one of our children. Once they are matched, the family and children get a chance to get to know each other better, and learn a little more about each other as they move toward a formal adoption.

For the children below, we hope for their lives to continue to grow and for them to become the best person they can possibly be.