Most of them are smiling. Some of their smiles are shy and wary. Others are mischievous or beckoning.

The stories behind the smiles are complex, sometimes scary, often tragic.

They are the stories of children who may never have known the warm comfort of a stable home or the embrace of a family they can depend upon forever.

"These pictures capture their essence, and they are very powerful," Joann Carpitcher of Elk Grove said of the Heart Gallery, an annual display of professional photos of special children looking for adoptive homes.

Carpitcher should know. Six years ago, she and her husband, Paul, saw one of those photos in a newspaper story about the Heart Gallery. A few months later, a boy named Leland became part of her family.

"His soul just shined out to me," Carpitcher recalled. "There was such a connection through his eyes. As soon as I saw that picture, I thought, 'That's our son.' "

Now Carpitcher, whose family includes her biological daughter, Nicole Buzek, granddaughter Maddison Buzek and four siblings whom she and Paul adopted prior to finding Leland, is a member of the Heart Gallery's board of directors and one of its biggest cheerleaders.

The nonprofit group is a collaboration of photographers, artists, businesses and community volunteers whose goal is to find permanent homes for older children, sibling groups and children with special needs.

Professional photos of youngsters awaiting permanent homes can be seen at www.sacheartgallery.org, along with portraits of families who have adopted youngsters featured in previous Heart Gallery exhibits.

Although many adoptive parents focus on babies, Carpitcher said she can attest that adopting an older child or one with special needs can be every bit as satisfying.

"When I have had important things happen in my life, I've always had someone to call," she said.

"There are so many kids who age out of the foster care system, and they have no one. No one to call, no one to have Thanksgiving dinner with, no one to go home to at Christmas. I wanted to give that gift to someone."

Or, in her case, five special someones: Leland, 9; Natalie, 15; Angelica, 13; Zachary, 10; and Aunnalisa, 7.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

The Heart Gallery is an annual adoption awareness event intended to find permanent homes for older children, sibling groups and children with special needs. You can see photographs of children awaiting adoption, including the

three pictured here, at www.sacheartgallery.org.

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