BEAR Announces Partnership with 90.5 KJIC and Tide Cleaners to Promote Heart Gallery of Greater Houston

Collaborative initiative supporting BEAR’s Heart Gallery of Greater Houston combines in-store exhibits at Tide Cleaners and on-air promotion with 90.5 KJIC.

HOUSTON, TX, UNITED STATES, February 3, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- BEAR (BE A Resource) announces an expanded partnership with 90.5 KJIC and Tide Cleaners to increase community awareness and support for children in foster care across greater Houston, with a shared focus on amplifying the impact of BEAR’s Heart Gallery of Greater Houston.

The Heart Gallery is one of BEAR’s four core programs and serves as a powerful outreach initiative that connects children in foster care with potential adoptive families through professional photography and storytelling. Nationally, children who are legally free for adoption face significant barriers to finding permanent homes, particularly older youth, sibling groups and medically fragile children.

Why the Heart Gallery matters:
• Children without Heart Gallery exposure have roughly a 1% chance of adoption before aging out of foster care
• Communities with active Heart Gallery programs see adoption rates increase to more than 60%
• In Texas alone, more than 5,000 children and youth are currently waiting to be adopted

Through volunteer photographers, the Heart Gallery captures dignified, professional portraits and personal profiles that are displayed in high-traffic community spaces. These exhibits help humanize the foster care experience and invite the public to see children not as statistics, but as individuals deserving of stability, connection and belonging.

“The Heart Gallery helps tell the stories of children who deserve stability, connection and hope,” said Tammy Hetmaniak, Executive Director of BEAR. “Tide Cleaners has been a long-standing partner by opening its neighborhood locations to help raise awareness about foster care and adoption. The addition of 90.5 KJIC allows us to extend that impact even further. Through in-store visibility and on-air messaging, we are reaching more families, inviting greater community involvement and creating new opportunities for people to support children in foster care.”

BEAR currently hosts Heart Gallery exhibits in all 34 Tide Cleaners locations throughout the greater Houston area, using highly visible community spaces to showcase professional portraits and brief personal profiles of children in foster care who are waiting for permanent, loving homes.

“Since December 2019, Tide Cleaners of Houston has proudly partnered with BEAR, beginning with a 34-store toy drive to support children in CPS care. Over the years, our commitment has expanded to include a school supply drive and collaborative gift initiatives with Cy-Fair ISD Athletics. What I find most rewarding about this partnership is seeing our entire team rally behind a cause that transcends our daily retail operations. Service is deeply embedded in our corporate DNA; it is a privilege to witness our staff go above and beyond to provide meaningful support for children in the CPS system. In addition to our internal efforts, we must also recognize the incredible generosity of the Cy-Fair ISD athletes, their families, and our Tide Cleaners guests. Their consistent year-over-year contributions are the cornerstone of these initiatives. I have often said that our guests are among the most selfless individuals in the community, and their continued support truly makes these programs possible, said Kyle E. Nesbit, President, Houston at Edit TX, LLC - a Franchisee of Tide Cleaners.

“At Community Radio, Inc. 90.5 KJIC, our mission is to provide comfort, encouragement, and spiritual strength. Partnering with BEAR and The Heart Gallery of Greater Houston allows us to help ensure children in foster care are seen and their stories are shared. As James 1:27 reminds us, caring for orphans is at the heart of genuine faith, and this partnership reflects our belief that every child deserves a safe home, a stable future, and the hope found in knowing they belong,” said Amber Cole, KJIC Outreach Director.

As part of the expanded collaboration, 90.5 KJIC will provide on-air promotion for BEAR through January 2027, reinforcing the Heart Gallery’s message and helping BEAR reach families, advocates and supporters across the region. The partnership combines in-store engagement with sustained radio outreach to deepen awareness and strengthen community involvement on behalf of children in foster care.

For more information about BEAR and its programs, visit https://bearesourcehouston.org.

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ABOUT BEAR
BEAR is the only 501(c)(3) organization working with Harris County Resources for Children and Adults and the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services that offers unique programs that provide not only the basic needs of children recently uprooted, but also supportive services that provide comfort, dignity, and celebration of successes that propel the child toward a successful future – for abused and neglected children. This partnership with the county and state is vital to BEAR’s success as an organization, allowing $0.85 of every dollar earned through fundraising efforts to go back to effectively operating four core programs. For the last 29 years, BEAR has been an important advocate for the most vulnerable population in Houston… its children. This advocacy is represented through the basic necessities provided for children in BEAR rooms year-round, the school supplies distributed each fall, the Christmas gifts wrapped and delivered each winter and in the canvas photos of adoptable children that are displayed year-round throughout venues in Houston. For more information about BEAR, visit bearesourcehouston.org.

ABOUT THE HEART GALLERY OF GREATER HOUSTON
The Heart Gallery of Greater Houston, a program of BEAR, is a community-based outreach initiative that uses professional photography and storytelling to help children in foster care find permanent, loving homes. Part of a national network of Heart Galleries, the program highlights children whose parental rights have been terminated and who are often overlooked for adoption, including older youth, sibling groups and children with medical needs. By displaying portraits and personal profiles in highly visible public spaces, the Heart Gallery of Greater Houston connects children with the broader community and prospective adoptive families while increasing adoption outcomes across Texas. Learn more at http://heartgalleryhouston.org/.

Felicia Perez
FAR Public Relations
+ +1 501-804-4348
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