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MARE additionally serves prospective and experienced adoptive parents from all walks of life, including married couples, single people and gay and lesbian singles and couples. The agency receives over 10,000 inquiries each year from individuals seeking both general adoption information and child-specific information. Over the years, MARE's program array has expanded to include a number of specific services related to the recruitment, matching and referral of adoptive parents seeking children, as well as a variety of training, support and advocacy activities. In 1969, MARE developed a pictorial newsletter featuring children in need of families, the first of its kind in the nation. This newsletter evolved into the MARE Photolisting®, a recruitment tool registered with the Library of Congress in 1974 and emulated by agencies throughout the United States and Canada. Available to prospective adoptive parents at public libraries and adoption agencies statewide, the MARE Photolisting® consistently leads to placements. In the early 1980's, MARE began hosting adoption parties at which prospective parents, social workers and waiting children can meet and interact in fun and casual atmospheres. The power of these personal interactions cannot be denied. More than 500 children have found their parents because of connections made at these events. Among the most well known MARE programs are Sunday's Child®, created in 1976 with the Boston Globe, and Wednesday's Child, established in 1981 as a collaboration between MARE, DSS and WBZ-TV 4 (now CBS4 Boston). These media series have transformed public perception of adoption and the children who need permanent homes. MARE coordinates ongoing child-specific features with numerous publications throughout the state. For years, MARE has played a vital role assisting in the passage of progressive state legislation and promoting reforms. In 1992, MARE established the Children's Adoption and Foster Care Rights Coalition. This coalition successfully lobbied for passage of House Bill 303, which reduced the length of time children wait to be freed for adoption from a period of more than four years to a maximum of 18 months. In April of 1999, MARE supported the passage of another bill, which included a legal requirement for DSS to register waiting children with the state exchange. Since December of 1998, MARE has maintained an ongoing partnership with Jordan's Furniture. The "Jordan's Initiative" is a landmark collaboration between MARE, Jordan's, DSS and private agencies contracted by DSS. The Initiative continues to spur innovative recruitment programs and has led to more than 150 placements. In 2005, MARE began another exciting public education and awareness project, the Heart Gallery. This is a striking exhibit of portraits of children registered with MARE and in need of adoptive homes. All the photographers have volunteered their time and expertise to create images that capture the spirit of the children. The goal of the Heart Gallery is to raise awareness about adoption and find families for the children featured as well. It travels to various venues across the Commonwealth, in addition to permanent displays at all Jordan's Furniture stores. In 2005, 36 children were featured, while in 2006, 44 children were highlighted in the exhibit. In 2006, MARE was awarded a grant from the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption to establish a Wendy's Wonderful Kids program. MARE now has a second staff person in Western Massachusetts who works exclusively with a caseload of approximately 15 youth who have been waiting for adoptive homes the longest. The focus is on finding a permanent connection or family resource for a child, including exploring people from his or her past. The history of MARE is filled with pioneering efforts on behalf of children who dream of finding adoptive families. This proud tradition will endure as MARE looks to the future and continues to develop creative solutions to the crisis of children in need of permanent, loving homes.