Jeremy's Journey
When the Progress Energy Heart Gallery of Pinellas and Pasco Counties opened on June 22, 2006, one family was smiling bigger than anyone else there. All because of a little boy named Jeremy, with boundless energy and a smile big enough to fill a room, who was being featured on the 2006 Heart Gallery exhibit.
Jeremy's biography card on the Heart Gallery read:
If given a choice, playing outside is where you’ll find 7-year-old Jeremy. He loves all outdoor activities, including going to the park, swimming, picnicking and riding his bicycle. What Jeremy would like most is a family who enjoys going interesting places and doing fun things together. Jeremy has a big, beautiful heart. He gets along well with other children and would love to become part of a big, beautiful family.
The family that Jeremy described on his card turned out to be the Molinet family - Dr. Carmen Molinet (left) and her husband Luis (right) who were in the process of adopting Jeremy, the smiling boy pictured in behind them both on the Heart Gallery exhibit.
The Molinet's had been hoping to adopt for years and had already completed all the steps to adopt a child from foster care, including an approved adoptive home study. Jeremy had been waiting for his adoptive family for years, standing by as his half-siblings were either reunified or adopted. Jeremy was tired of waiting - he wanted his own "forever family".
The Molinet's heard about Jeremy through Safe Children Coalition Case Manager Sheryl Allen who made arrangements for the Molinet's to meet them during Jeremy's scheduled Heart Gallery photo session with volunteer photographers Kim & Peggy Warmolts of Lasting Impressions at their home in the country.
Ms. Allen introduced the Molinet's to Jeremy as her "friends", and Jeremy spent the day laughing and playing with them, while Kim & Peggy Warmolts of Lasting Impressions snapped picture after picture for the Heart Gallery exhibit.
When Jeremy returned to his foster home, he couldn't stop talking about his new "friends" and how much fun they had that day. When he got to school, he described his new "friends" to his teacher exclaiming, "They look just like me!" More visits followed and the Molinet's - without one moment of doubt - signed the paperwork to move forward in the adoption process.
Jeremy's adoption finalized on October 4th in a ceremony mixed with smiles, laughter and tears.
Jeremy, who kept "Jeremy" as his middle name but now goes by "Luis" after his adoptive father, finally got what he wanted. A beautiful family with a Mom and Dad...and a happy ending to his journey!
_________________________________
Heart Galleries are traveling museum-quality exhibits that feature professional portraits and personal biographies of foster children in need of adoptive homes. Local professional photographers volunteer their time, and the exhibit moves from venue to venue to such public places as malls, places of worship and libraries. It is a way for the community to help local child welfare agencies recruit "forever" adoptive families for local foster children.
