Fostering Change

BEST OF SEASON 6 — As we close out Season 6 and gear up for Season 7 of Fostering Change, we’re highlighting some of our most powerful conversations from the past year. With over 220 episodes behind us, we’re grateful to every guest and listener who has helped us grow this platform into what it is today. In this featured episode, Rob Scheer is joined by guest co-host Rita Soronen, CEO of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, for an incredible conversation with Andrew Bridge — former foster youth, attorney, and author of The Child Catcher: A Fight for Justice & Truth. Andrew shares his story of surviving 11 years in Los Angeles County foster care, his rise to become a Harvard Law graduate and Fulbright Scholar, and his fight to protect children in broken systems. His new book, The Child Catcher, tells the true story of a legal battle to rescue youth trapped in a secretive and abusive institution in rural Alabama. 💥 Proceeds from The Child Catcher support CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) chapters nationwide. To support, visit AndrewBridgeAuthor.com and select your preferred chapter — 50% of pre-sale royalties will be donated directly. 📩 Have questions, comments, or guest suggestions? Email us at info@comfortcases.org — 📚 About Andrew Bridge Spent 11 years in foster care Graduated from Wesleyan University and Harvard Law School Led efforts to shut down abusive institutions Former CEO of The Alliance for Children’s Rights Co-founder of National Adoption Day and New Village Girls Academy NYT bestselling author of Hope’s Boy Serves on the Arizona Foster Care Review Board 📲 Follow Andrew: Facebook: facebook.com/andrew.bridge.9041 Instagram: @andrewbridgejd Twitter/X: @AndrewBridgeJD Threads: @AndrewBridgeJD 🔗 Learn More About The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption: Website: https://www.davethomasfoundation.org/ Instagram: @dtfa Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DaveThomasFoundationforAdoption/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to the Season 6 FINALE of Fostering Change! 🎉 What an incredible season it's been — filled with inspiring, motivating, and heartfelt stories. THANK YOU for being part of our journey, for tuning in each week, and for all your comments and reviews. We do this for YOU. 💙 📅 Coming Soon: Starting June 17, join us for our "Best of" Summer Series — a special collection of our favorite episodes. Whether you’re re-listening or discovering them for the first time, we hope these powerful stories inspire you all over again. 🔥 Mark your calendar: Season 7 premieres on September 2, and we’re returning to weekly episodes every Tuesday! More guests, more voices, and even more impact. Have a guest suggestion? Email us at: info@comfortcases.org 🎙️ Today’s Season Finale Guest: Dr. Kisha Davis There’s no better way to wrap this season than with the amazing Dr. Kisha Davis — family physician, public health leader, and a dear friend of Rob Scheer and the Comfort Cases family. Kisha shares the powerful legacy of her grandmother in her new biography: 📖 “The Making of a Pearl” – Buy the book on Amazon In this episode, you'll hear heartfelt stories of resilience, love, and history passed down over weekday breakfasts with her grandmother, Ida Pearl Green, who lived to be 106. Dr. Davis also discusses her work in the Quince Orchard community, her role as Montgomery County’s Chief Health Officer, and her involvement in the documentary Finding Fellowship — co-produced with her brother and previous Fostering Change guest, Jason Green. ✨ Don’t miss this powerful conversation about family, legacy, and leadership. 🔗 Connect with Dr. Kisha Davis: 📘 Facebook: facebook.com/kisha.davis2 📸 Instagram: @drkishadavis 🐦 Twitter/X: @kishadavismd 📱 Threads: @drkishadavis 💼 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/daviskisha #ComfortCases #FosteringChange #FosterCareAwareness Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to Fostering Change! Today marks the final installment of our special episodes for National Foster Care Awareness Month. We hope you've enjoyed the series—and, more importantly, learned something meaningful from each conversation. As always, we encourage you to share your thoughts in the comments and pass these episodes along to others. In today’s episode, we welcome back one of Rob’s favorite guests: Charell Star, who first joined us in Season 5. Charell gained national attention when she was featured in Humans of New York (link below), and she returns to discuss her powerful new book, Trash Bag Tales and Other Stories from an Accidentally Happy Life. The book offers readers a raw, heartfelt, and often humorous look at what it means to claim the joyful life you deserve. Charell is also the featured subject in the award-winning documentary Feeling Wanted, which chronicles her time in foster care and is now used as a training resource by child welfare organizations around the world. We absolutely loved this episode—and we’ve already invited Charell back for Season 7! 📚 Want to read Charell’s book? Find it at your favorite bookstore or purchase it on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Trash-Bag-Tales-Stories-Accidentally/dp/B0F24H8DXS 📲 Connect with Charell: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/charellstar/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charellstar/ Read her “Humans of New York” story: https://www.instagram.com/p/CUK7yfSrFT3/?hl=en 🎧 One more episode of Season 6 drops next week! After that, we’ll take a short break and share some “Best Of” episodes before returning with Season 7 this fall. 💌 Got thoughts or guest suggestions? Email us at: info@comfortcases.org Thank you for being a GOOD HUMAN. 💙 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On today’s episode of Fostering Change, we continue our special acknowledgment that May is National Foster Care Awareness Month. We hope you have taken some moments to reflect on what you can do to support those in the foster care system: donate, volunteer your time, mentor, or even consider taking steps to be a CASA or foster parent. Thank you for all you do! If you’d like a simple way to support Comfort Cases, here’s an idea: You can participate in the Hundred X program. Click on the following link, and you’ll be guided to complete surveys about brands and companies you are familiar with. Comfort Cases will receive $1.60 for every survey you fill out (and it only takes 2 minutes max for each!) https://programs.hundredx.com/givewithoutspending Now, on to today’s episode: For 8 years, we have worked with the team at Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield in Indiana, and have expanded that partnership throughout the country, literally giving away THOUSANDS of our Comfort Cases backpacks to social service agencies and youth experiencing foster care. Today, we speak with Aimee Christian, a Fostering Connections Case Manager with Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield. Aimee and Rob Scheer have a lively discussion that focuses on the positive changes that can be made to improve the foster care system. Some of the points they cover include changing our vocabulary so we’re not labeling these youth, changing the focus from just on the child to the entire family, and building and improving relationships with the birth family and the foster family. Aimee and Rob will certainly motivate you to—at minimum—give new thoughts to the foster care system and—at best—possibly motivate you to consider becoming a foster parent yourself! We know you’ll enjoy this interview. Thank you again to Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield for being such a valuable and supportive partner to Comfort Cases all these years! ​​The partnership between Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield and Comfort Cases has grown since 2018. Since the expansion, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield’s affiliated health plans have hosted dozens of packing parties across 16 states, Washington DC, and Puerto Rico, providing thousands of Comfort Cases and XL duffel bags to youth in foster care nationwide. For more information about the foster care system or how you can support Comfort Cases, please visit our website: www.comfortcases.org. If you have any questions, comments, or guest suggestions, please reach out to us at info@comfortcases.org. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week’s episode of the Comfort Cases Podcast, Rob Scheer sits down with Amy Vale, foster parent and founder of For the Cubs, a purpose-driven brand creating sensory tools to support emotional regulation in children and adults alike. Amy shares how her own foster care journey inspired a mission: to design products that provide real comfort, like Percy, a weighted plush bear that mimics the feeling of a hug. Their conversation explores: ✅ The power of pairing entrepreneurship with advocacy ✅ How sensory tools support those facing trauma, ADHD, anxiety, and more ✅ The lack of comforting resources for children entering care ✅ What empathetic corporate responsibility really looks like This powerful episode is part of our ongoing spotlight series for National Foster Care Awareness Month. Don’t miss this heartfelt discussion about healing, innovation, and how we can all do better for youth in care. 🔗 Learn more about For the Cubs: www.forthecubs.com 📅 New episodes every Tuesday in May 💙 Learn more about Comfort Cases: www.comfortcases.org 📧 Contact: info@comfortcases.org 🎧 Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Google Podcasts—wherever you tune in. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

May is National Foster Care Awareness Month, and we’re kicking it off with one of our most powerful episodes yet. This week on Fostering Change, host Rob Scheer is joined by special guest co-host Jennifer Perry, Executive Director of the Children’s Action Network and Co-Founder of FosterMore. Jennifer’s tireless advocacy has brought national attention to the urgent needs of the 108,000+ children in U.S. foster care currently waiting for adoptive families. Together, they sit down with Lara Love Hardin, author of The Many Lives of Mama Love—a 2024 Oprah Book Club selection and New York Times bestseller. In this profoundly moving conversation, Lara shares her remarkable journey through opioid addiction, incarceration, the devastating loss of her children, and how she fought her way back to rebuild her life. This episode is a raw and inspiring look at: The transformative power of storytelling The realities of addiction, incarceration, and recovery The broken pieces of the foster care system—and how we can fix them The power of second chances and redemption 🎧 Listen, share, and comment on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts—or wherever you get your podcasts! 📅 New episodes air every Tuesday throughout May in honor of National Foster Care Awareness Month. Remember to subscribe so you don’t miss a single story. 🌐 Learn More & Support: Comfort Cases – https://www.comfortcases.org 📧 Contact: info@comfortcases.org 🔗 Featured Organizations: Children’s Action Network Website: https://www.childrensactionnetwork.org Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/childrensactionnetwork Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/childrensaction Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChildrensActionNetwork FosterMore Website: https://fostermore.org Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/foster_more Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/fostermore Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FosterMore 📚 About Lara Love Hardin: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/laralovehardin Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laralovehardin 📖 Buy The Many Lives of Mama Love: https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-many-lives-of-mama-love-a-memoir-of-lying-stealing-writing-and-healing-lara-love-hardin/19897569 or wherever you buy books Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When people think of fostering or adopting, the image that often comes to mind is a cute little baby. But what’s often forgotten are the older children—pre-teens and teens—who are just as in need of love, support, and a forever family. On this episode of Fostering Change, Rob Scheer welcomes Randi Thompson, co-founder of Kidsave—a remarkable nonprofit helping youth ages 9–17 in foster care and orphanages find meaningful, lasting connections and permanent homes. Randi is truly one of the “Good Humans” we’re honored to feature! Kidsave offers several incredible programs, including their flagship Weekend Miracles initiative, which connects older youth with families who are considering fostering or adoption. As Kidsave says: “When a child feels like they have someone in their corner, the world opens up to them, and they thrive.” 🎉 Upcoming Kidsave Miracle Galas: 📍 Washington, DC – May 29 📍 Los Angeles – June 7 📍 Houston – June 21 💙 May is National Foster Care Awareness Month! Comfort Cases is celebrating with events, fundraisers, and new weekly episodes every Tuesday in May. The Season 6 finale airs June 3! 💡 Have guest ideas for Season 7 (coming this Fall)? Reach out to our producer: 📧 dthalberg@comfortcases.org | info@comfortcases.org 🔗 Learn more about Kidsave and connect with them here: 📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KidsaveInternational 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kidsave/ 🧵 Threads: https://www.threads.net/@kidsave 🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@kidsave 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/kidsave/ 🌐 Website: https://www.kidsave.org Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On today’s episode of Fostering Change, Rob Scheer sits down with another incredible “Good Human” — Tristian Smith. After losing his mother at the age of seven, Tristian entered the foster care system, where he experienced over 25 placements and attended 13 different schools. Despite these hardships, he never let his circumstances define him. Tristian shares the powerful story behind his memoir, Against All Odds, which chronicles his journey through the challenges of foster care and his path to becoming a voice for change. Now a retired U.S. Army Officer, Tristian continues to serve as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA), a Foster Care Review Board Member, and a mentor to youth aging out of the system. His commitment to advocacy, mentorship, and reform is genuinely inspiring. 📘 Get Tristian’s book, Against All Odds, available on Amazon and wherever books are sold. 🔗 Connect with Tristian: Instagram: @undeterred_anomaly LinkedIn: Tristian Smith 📩 Have questions or guest suggestions? Please email us at info@comfortcases.org Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Don’t you just love a really good person? On today’s episode of Fostering Change you’re about to meet one. Shawn Henss is truly the definition of what we call a “Good Human.” A nice guy, with a HUGE heart. Shawn is the founder of Giving Sole, a non-profit organization that gives new shoes to youth in foster care. Technically, Shawn’s son came up with the idea for Giving Sole at the age of 10! Since founding Giving Sole in 2018, they have given away more than 3,000 new, brand-name shoes and sneakers to youth in foster care throughout Arizona, and are looking to share this generosity throughout the US. We can go on longer here, but we’d rather you listen to Shawn’s story directly from him in this beautiful interview with our host, Rob Scheer. To find out more information about Giving Sole, including how to donate, please visit: www.givingsole.org. You can also follow them on various social media channels: Facebook https://www.facebook.com/givingsole/ Instagram @giving_sole Twitter/X @givingsole Threads https://www.threads.net/@giving_sole LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/giving-sole #fostercare #givingsole #adoption Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s always special when we can welcome both a returning guest and a first-time guest who are making a real difference. Join our host, Rob Scheer, as he sits down with Kate Trambitskaya and Brian Rosenberg for an urgent and eye-opening discussion about how federal cutbacks are impacting youth in foster care, LGBTQ+ youth, and other vulnerable communities. Why This Episode Matters: Kate, who last joined us in May 2022, is a passionate advocate for children, women, and families. As CEO of Spence-Chapin Services to Families and Childre,, she has expanded programs supporting expectant women facing adversity, children in institutional care overseas, and adoptees and their families here in the U.S. Brian is the founder and executive director of GWK Academy Family Building, a non-profit spin-off of the beloved Gays With Kids community. Originally focused on supporting gay and queer men in their journey to parenthood, Brian is excited to announce that starting in March 2025, GWK Academy will support ALL family-building paths for ALL LGBTQ+ individuals! 🔥 Don’t just listen—take action! 🔥 🎧 Tune in now and get informed. 💬 Join the conversation—leave a comment or question! ❤️ Like, share, and help us spread the word! The more people who hear Fostering Change, the faster we can create real, lasting impact. 📩 Have thoughts or questions? Reach out at fosteringchange@comfortcases.org or visit www.comfortcases.org—we’d love to hear from you! #FosteringChange #Podcast #LGBTQFamilies #FosterCare #Adoption #MakeAChange To find more about each organization: Spence-Chapin Facebook https://www.facebook.com/spencechapin Instagram https://www.instagram.com/spencechapinsvc/ Twitter/X https://x.com/spencechapinsvc LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/71342/ GWK Academy/Gays With Kids Facebook https://www.facebook.com/GaysWithKids Instagram @gays_with_kids; @gwkacademy Twitter/X https://www.youtube.com/@GWK LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianrrosenberg/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How do you feel when you receive a hand-written note? Not an email, not a form letter. But an actual note that someone took the time to sit down and write out with a good old-fashioned pen or pencil? Pretty special right? On today’s episode of Fostering Change we welcome Jeremy Su, co-founder of “Cards for Cubs”, an organization that demonstrates how a simple handmade card can profoundly impact a child’s life by offering hope and comfort during difficult times. Since being founded in 2020, Cards for Cubs have collected and distributed more than 200,000 cards and over 400 foster care related organizations. In 2024, Cards for Cubs collected 70,000 cards. The 2025 Card Drive ends March 31. To send in cards, please visit https://cardsforcubs.org/. We’re so happy to call Jeremy a friend, and know that you’ll love hearing why he’s doing this and what’s to come! TO CONTACT & DONATE, PLEASE VISIT: Website https://cardsforcubs.org/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thecardsforcubs Facebook https://www.facebook.com/CardsForCubs/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Content Warning: This episode contains discussions of difficult subject matter, including child abuse and the tragic death/murder of a young child. Listener discretion is strongly advised. If these topics may be triggering or upsetting, we encourage you to prioritize your well-being and consider this before listening to this episode. Welcome back for the second part of our special 2-episode series of Fostering Change, featuring the story of the horrific murder of 5-year-old Harmony Montgomery. On our last episode, we spoke with Judge Carol Erskine, author of the book A Cruel Injustice, which documents how our judicial system failed young Harmony, who was taken out of foster care and placed with her birth father - who rather than nurturing her, murdered her. Today, we speak with Blair & Johnathan Bobbit-Miller, adoptive fathers of two sons before becoming the father of a 3rd son, Jamison, Harmony’s brother. These amazing and sensitive humans discuss with Rob how the system continues to fail those who need it most—the children. They explain what they are doing, along with help from other Good Humans like Judge Erskine and Rob Scheer, to fix what many consider to be unfixable. This powerful episode of Fostering Change will make you want to activate yours. At the sentencing of Adam Montgomery (Harmony’s father), Jamison read a victim-impact-statement. Part of the statement: "Tell everyone my name is Jamison. I'm 7 years old. My sister is Harmony. I love Harmony, I miss her," Bobbitt-Miller read. "I hope I get to see her again." He spoke of a broken Elmo toy Harmony had given him that was hers that he has kept ever since. He said he has a Minnie Mouse pillow and new Elmo he planned to give to her. "I keep it in my closet for her," Bobbitt-Miller read. "I am really sad she is an angel. I miss her. She was my best friend. I hope she can see me playing basketball and being silly with my brothers and I wish I could bring Harmony to my school to meet my friends and teacher." To learn more about the Bobbit-Miller Family: Twitter: @BlairMillerTV @BobbitMiller Instagram: @johnathanb @blairmillertv “A Cruel Injustice” can be found anywhere you purchase books, including Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Cruel-Injustic... If you have any comments or questions regarding this episode or the foster care system, please send them to info@comfortcases.org. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Content Warning: This episode contains discussions of difficult subject matter, including child abuse and the tragic death/murder of a young child. Listener discretion is strongly advised. If these topics may be triggering or upsetting, we encourage you to prioritize your well-being and take this all into consideration prior to listening to this episode. On today’s special episode of Fostering Change we speak with Judge Carol Erskine. Judge Erskine is the author of the book, A Cruel Injustice. In thebook, and in today’s interview with Rob Scheer, Judge Erskine discusses the tragic death of 5-year-old Harmony, at the hands of her father. Harmony’s murder was the result of our failed foster care system. Where the system should have provided legal advocacy on behalf of Harmony, protecting her, instead it let her, her brother and all of us, down. Judge Erskine further discusses her career on the bench, and how she remains an advocate for youth in foster care. Please note that this is PART ONE of a two-episode series. On our next episode of Fostering Change, Blair Miller and Johnathan Bobbit-Miller, the adoptive fathers of Harmony’s brother, speak to Rob about their experiences with the system - their frustrations, and all they are doing to raise Jamison and work with him as he remembers his sister and fights for justice in her name. To purchase a copy of A Cruel Injustice, please visit a local bookstore, Amazon, or carolerskine.com. More About Carol: Carol Erskine has been a lifelong child advocate and a Massachusetts Juvenile Court judge for twenty-one years. Prior to being appointed to the bench, Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly named her one of the state's top ten lawyers. Judge Erskine has written and published a children’s book and several op-ed columns on children’s issues. She and her husband are the proud parents of a blended family with their now grown adopted and stepchildren. Website carolerskine.com Facebook https://www.facebook.com/AuthorCarolErskine/ Twitter/X https://x.com/TheCarolErskine LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/carol-erskine-1065a1207/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Happy New Year! On our first episode of the New Year, we are so happy to bring you an amazing human, Hunter Beaton. Hunter is the founder of Day1bags.org. Day1’s mission is right in line with Comfort Cases’ mission: to provide hope and dignity to youth in foster care by giving them new luggage or backpacks in place of the disgusting black trash bags that are still given out in so many states. Hunter started this initiative in 2016 at the age of 15 as part of his Eagle Scout project (yes, he’s a Real Eagle Scout!). He initially provided 100 duffel bags filled with essential supplies to a local nonprofit serving foster youth in San Antonio, Texas. The project quickly became a sustainable mission to support foster children across the United States. Hunter's work has led to significant milestones, including distributing over 220,000 bags to foster youth across 47 states, legislative advocacy for proper luggage bills, and initiatives that celebrate foster youth's achievements. Through Day 1 Bags, Hunter has inspired meaningful change and continues to empower children in foster care by promoting dignity, belonging, and recognition. To learn more about Hunter and Day1Bags - and how you can support them, please visit the following links: Website: https://day1bags.org/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/day1bags Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/day1bags/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/day-1-bags/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year! This is our final episode of Fostering Change before we launch into 2025. And what a year it’s been. We’ve celebrated amazing guests on our show, learning so much about each other and our society. Thank you to all of you who have written in with comments and guests suggestions about what you’ve listened to this year. We truly appreciate YOU ALL! Our charity, Comfort Cases has touched so many people around the country this year, with Rob Scheer once again sharing our message of providing hope and dignity for youth in foster care. It’s not too late to make one last donation if this is possible for you. If this is something you would like to do, to help out our most important people, youth entering foster care, please click on this link or here: https://comfortcases.org/ to become a #Bagbuster to help us stop the evil practice of giving trash bags to our youth. Thank you! As for today’s Christmas Eve episode, we end the year with a Very Special Guest: Chef Art Smith. You may initially recognize him as Oprah’s personal Chef, a role he held for 10 years. He is also the founder of Common Threads, a non-profit organization teaching low-income children to cook wholesome and affordable meals since 2003. He believes that through hands-on cooking and introducing children to fresh foods we can help prevent childhood obesity, reverse the trend of poor eating habits, and learn about diversity and tolerance through the celebration of our cultural differences and our commonalities. Chef Art has appeared on numerous national television appearances including ABC’s Lady Gaga Thanksgiving Special, Top Chef, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Iron Chef America, The Today Show, Good Morning America, Nightline, Fox News, Extra, Entertainment Tonight, BBQ Pitmasters, The Talk, The Dr. Oz Show and of course, The Oprah Winfrey Show. Chef Art has appeared on the cover of Parade Magazine, and has been featured in Cooking Light magazine. He is a regular contributor to Standup magazine, whose proceeds benefit The Ben Foundation, which raises awareness of the long-term, damaging effects of bullying. To learn more about Chef Art Smith, please visit: Website: https://www.chefartsmith.com/ Instagram: @thechefartsmith Facebook: ChefArtSmith X/Twitter: @chefartsmith To learn more about Common Threads, please visit: Website: https://www.commonthreads.org/ Instagram: @commonthreadsorg Facebook: CommonThreadsOrg X/Twitter: @commonthreadsUS Thank you again for listening and watching Fostering Change. We hope you have a happy and safe holiday and look forward to bringing you more great discussions in 2025. Again, if you have any comments or guest suggestions, please feel free to reach out by emailing our producers at info@comfortcases.org. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome back to another thought-provoking episode of Fostering Change. Today, we speak with Jason Green, a friend and amazing filmmaker. Jason’s documentary, Finding Fellowship, is a story of hope about the unlikely merger of three segregated churches in the 1960s. Jason and Rob belong to this same church, which is how they first met, and both have the same passion for community coming together. We thought today would be a perfect time to share this interview in the spirit of the holiday season. Following the episode, we encourage you to watch Finding Fellowship. You can find it on PBS, or click the following link to stream it on PBS.org: https://www.pbs.org/show/finding-fellowship/ If you have any comments or questions, please get in touch with us at info@comfortcases.org. There is just one more episode before the New Year, which posts on Christmas Eve—with someone we know you will love to meet! To learn more about Jason and Finding Fellowship: Instagram: @jg1732 Twitter/X: @jg1732 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasongerardgreen/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A reminder that through the end of November (National Adoption Awareness Month), when you visit www.BarelyCanadian.com our friend Kelly and her team will donate a Comfort XL Duffle bag for every one of their amazingly plush items purchased. Today, we go back almost exactly 3 years to revisit a special episode about a remarkable woman, Pam Willis and family. We know you’ll enjoy! Pam and her husband have been married 36 years, raised 5 biological children (the youngest is 20). 11 years ago they became foster parents and began caring for children in their home. Pam led down a road of foster care and as a surprise to their life plan, 5 years ago they adopted a set of seven siblings from the foster care system. These kids now have a second chance at parenting, and they have a second chance at a family after their first parents passed away in a car accident. It’s an amazing story we wanted to reshare with you. Story Key Notes: 🖐️Adopting 7 Sets of Children Siblings 🖐️History of the 7 Children 🖐️Adjusting into a New Home 🖐️5 Biological Children's Reaction to Adopt New Siblings 🖐️Process to Adopt 7 Set of Children Siblings Learn more at https://www.comfortcases.org/ If you have any questions, comments or guest suggestions, please reach out to us at info@comfortcases.org. HAPPY THANKSGIVING !!! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It is National Adoption Awareness Month, and Comfort Cases is honoring the occasion with special promotions. Our “Coats for Comfort” Coat Drive, co-sponsored by CNN’s Laura Coates, is in full swing. There are donation boxes throughout the DC Metro area (including Maryland & Virginia), and for those of you outside the district, you can purchase coats and have them delivered directly to Comfort Cases by visiting https://comfortcases.org/lauracoates/ We are thrilled to announce our renewed partnership with Barely Canadian, running through November 30th! Known for their insanely soft sweaters and premium apparel, they have redefined cozy. With every purchase from their beautiful garment collection, Barely Canadian will generously donate a Comfort XL (valued at $148) to a child entering foster care. Explore their collection here: https://barelycanadian.com/ In today’s powerful episode of Fostering Change, we welcome Gretchen Sisson, author of RELINQUISHED: The Politics of Adoption and the Privilege of American Motherhood. As a researcher at UC San Francisco’s Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health, Gretchen has conducted hundreds of interviews with women who have relinquished infants for adoption, especially since Roe v. Wade. Her eye-opening research has been featured on NPR, New York Magazine, VOX, and more. In this riveting conversation with host Rob Scheer, they dive into the complex and often heartbreaking reasons behind adoption decisions, shedding light on the financial and societal pressures that force mothers to make impossible choices. This timely discussion touches on the profound challenges families face and why it should matter to us all. This is an important discussion for our community, and we were honored to have Gretchen on Fostering Change to continue it. For more information about RELINQUISHED or to follow Gretchen on social media, please visit: Website: https://www.gretchensisson.com/ Twitter/X: @gesisson Threads: gretchen.sisson Instagram: @gretchen.sisson LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gretchensisson/ Substack: https://gretchen.substack.com/ #nationaladoptionawarenessmonth #adoptionawareness #fostercare Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“When good people get together, great things happen.” - Jamie Truman On today’s episode of Fostering Change, we welcome our good friend Jamie Truman. She and her husband Jerry co-founded Truman Charities, an organization that truly exemplifies what our host, Rob Scheer, has expressed over the years: it focuses on helping other local and national charities, hosts events multiple times a year, and covers all costs so that 100% of raised funds go directly to the charity. Over the past fifteen years, Truman Charities has raised a little over $2 million for several different charities (INCLUDING COMFORT CASES). Yes, Jamie and Jerry epitomize being “Good Humans.” Jamie is also the author of “Vanishing Fathers: The Ripple Effect on Tomorrow's Generation," which hit #1 on Amazon's Best New Releases. Of course, 100% of the proceeds from Vanishing Fathers go towards charities that help at-risk youth. These two themes, giving back to society and the important roles fathers play in that same society, are discussed in a lively interview. We know you will not only enjoy them but also be inspired. Jamie Truman hosts The Truman Charities Podcast, which you can find wherever you listen to podcasts. Find out more about Jamie and Truman Charities below: Order her book, “Vanishing Fathers”: https://www.amazon.com/Vanishing-Fathers-Ripple-Tomorrows-Generation/dp/B0CW3Q1QY8. Visit the Website: trumancharities.com Facebook: trumancharites Instagram: jamie_trumancharities LinkedIn: jamietruman Email: info@trumancharities.com Thank you for listening! Of course, if you have any questions or comments about today’s episode or a suggestion for a guest for Fostering Change, please reach out to us at info@comfortcases.org. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"If you have nobody, you have yourself." Lillian Colon When Lillian Colon shared that phrase above with Rob Scheer when he interviewed her recently, there was a pause in the conversation as those words hit home. Reflect on them for a moment. On today’s episode of Fostering Change, Rob interviews Lillian Colon, who spent more than a decade in a strict New York City orphanage because her father “thought it would be best” to separate from the mother she adored. With restrictions all around her, she strove to be someone better than anyone ever believed she could. Lilly never knew the care and loving attention of a stable family, but she didn’t let obstacles and family tragedies stand in the way of her dreams. As a child, after the nuns who ran the orphanage took her to Radio City Music Hall to see the famed “Rockettes, “Lilly was driven to become a dancer. A graduate of New York’s prestigious High School of Performing Arts (if you’ve ever seen the movie Fame,” you’ll understand), Lillian became the first Latina Rockette. Lillian achieved so much more in her career, having performed with some of the great names in Hollywood and on Broadway, including the legendary Chita Rivera. Most recently, she was the oldest dancer in the Hollywood adaptation of Lin Manuel Miranda’s “In the Heights!” We celebrate this achievement on the last day of Hispanic Heritage Month. Lillian shares all this in her memoir Lilly: The First Latina Rockette. This is a truly lovely conversation with a wonderful, good human. We know you will enjoy her growing-up stories and her performance success. To find out more about what Lillian is up to, please visit her website: https://www.lilliancolon.com/ You can purchase her book here: https://www.lilliancolon.com/product/lilly-book/ Thank you for listening! Of course, if you have any questions or comments about today’s episode or a suggestion for a guest for Fostering Change, please reach out to us at info@comfortcases.org. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.