room for one more

story by | sarah arntson

Twelve-year-old

Dylon is always on the go. He’s a fast talker who moves at the speed of light with unbridled enthusiasm. You can’t tell by looking at him, but he’s overcome a tremendous amount of hardship. As a young child, Dylon was removed from his biological mother’s care and separated from his brother and sister. Dylon and his siblings became part of the North Dakota foster care system, and waited months to be placed with a forever family.

The vast majority of the children in North Dakota who have been removed from the care of their biological parents sail through the system. Some have family members that are able to care for them while babies and younger children tend to get adopted quickly. But approximately 10% of those kids, who are so much more than a measly statistic, linger in foster care. It’s for children like Dylon, his siblings and the others that make up the approximate 10% that the North Dakota Heart Gallery [NDHG] was created.

A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words

The NDHG has a mission of encouraging adoption by reaching out to the public using a unique approach. Talented photographers are recruited to capture the spirit and personality of children looking for their forever home. An emotional and touching photograph collection is created that tours the state. On its website, www.ndheartgallery.org, more photographs are available offering a fuller picture of each child’s heart. In addition to shining a spotlight on the individuality of each child, the NDHG uses its photographs to raise general awareness about adoption and to urge those who are considering adoption to take action.

Loren and Kandi Tetzloff of Wahpeton, ND are no strangers to adoption. With two biological children, Kayla and Nathan, their motto is, ‘There’s always room for one more. Whatever God brings to us.’ They adopted their son, Brad, through the Wendy’s Wonderful Kids program. During foster parent training their case worker