Looking for something to do this Thursday, Friday, Saturday, or Sunday? You might want to head down to Puyallup for the fourth annual Washington State Heart Gallery, which exhibits at the Puyallup Spring Fair Thursday, April 19, through Sunday, April 22. The Heart Gallery contains 57 portraits of DSHS clients - children looking for adoptive parents, teens and their mentors, adults with disabilities, and seniors. Twenty-six photographers from across the state donated their talent and time for this year’s photo shoots.

Per the DSHS, the Heart Gallery serves an important purpose: ” Since the Heart Gallery began in 2004, 49 people have asked to become mentors, 33 people have volunteered to help a senior or adult with disabilities, and many more have asked about foster parenting and adoptions.” If nothing else, I think seeing the photographs reminds you that the people who rely on the DSHS’s services are just that: people. Not just cases or statistics, but your neighbors, people you might see every day and never otherwise notice.

If you can’t make it down to Puyallup this weekend, the exhibit will return to Puyallup in time for the Western Washington Fair in September. It will also be touring the state; check out the state’s Heart Gallery [page] for details and a virtual tour of the portraits.