MIAMI – Omari doesn’t say much.
But the 9-year-old has a smile and personality that can light up a room.
Omari, who is currently eligible for adoption, is one of dozens children who are set to have their photos on display as part of the Children’s Trust Miami Heart Gallery. The photos are part of a digital showcase that shows children and shares their hopes of finding a family.
Omari was 7 when Oscar Garcia took him into his group home. And although Omari is eligible for adoption, Garcia said it’s hard to let him go.
"He’s a great kid," Garcia said. "I’m happy for him and I’m overwhelmed at what I see."
The program has helped more than 150 children find homes.
"To know that these children are being exposed to this app that would give them the one thing they really want --who doesn’t want a family to love and care for you?" Sandra Camacho, of the Children’s Trust, said.
Omari was one of 10 children Monday who were eager to find that forever home.
William Presswood met two of his five adopted sons after he saw their photos in the gallery.
Presswood is a teacher at Somerset Academy in Homestead and has fostered more than 100 children in the past 11 years.
"Over time, we built a family together and that’s the biggest reward," Presswood said.
Lawrence Barrett Presswood was 14 when he went to William Presswood’s home as a foster child, and was later adopted by him.
"My mom was a drug addict. My dad was the same. They thought I was gonna turn out slow but it turned out different," Lawrence Barrett Presswood, 20, said.
He recently began calling William Presswood "dad."
"I feel like he deserves that title," Lawrence said.