Thirty children, ages 8 to 17 who are languishing in the foster care system or residential facilities in the Hudson Valley, are aching for families to adopt them.

To help them find permanent homes, the Putnam County Department of Social Services will host an adoption event tomorrow at the county-owned Tilly Foster Farm in Southeast featuring professional photo portraits of the children.

"There are always people who want to adopt little kids, but they don't give teens a chance," said Putnam County Department of Social Services caseworker Linda Amicucci.

The Heart Gallery project, now in its third year in the Hudson Valley, intends to change that.

Portraits of the children will be on display in the gallery of the Putnam Arts Council at Tilly Foster Farm starting today through Saturday. An opening reception with a light luncheon is planned for tomorrow from noon to 2 p.m. Jennings Michael Burch of Putnam, author of "They Cage the Animals at Night," a book that chronicles his childhood in foster care, will be the guest speaker.

Rockland, Westchester, Dutchess, Orange and Ulster counties have scheduled similar events.

Each year, the state removes thousands of children from their family of origin due to abuse and neglect, Amicucci said. Most of the children eventually return home, but some cannot be safely reunited with their families and become available for adoption. They long for a permanent home, as Ronald, 11, explained with "a family that will love me and keep me safe."

The Heart Gallery adoption project was created in 2001 by the New Mexico Children Youth and Families Department as a way to raise awareness about adoption. Professional photographers volunteer their time and services to capture the personalities of children in search of a loving, caring, permanent home.

Last year's Heart Gallery of the Mid-Hudson region resulted in the adoption of about a third of the 50 children who participated. The goal this year is to get at least half of the 30 children adopted to loving, permanent homes, Amicucci said.

Admission is free, and all are invited, whether as potential adoptive parents or supporters of adoption as a means of permanency for children, Amicucci said.

Reach Susan Elan at selan@lohud.com or 845-228-2277.