Fostering Change

Welcome to our final Best of Summer episode of Fostering Change! 🌟 Next week kicks off Season 7 (premiering Tuesday, September 2) and—by popular demand—we’re back to WEEKLY episodes. This week, Rob Scheer is joined by: 👩‍💼 Jennifer Perry – Co-Founder of FosterMore & Executive Director of Children’s Action Network 📚 Lara Love Hardin – FosterMorey Award Winner & New York Times bestselling author of The Many Lives of Mama Love (an Oprah Book Club pick!) Lara opens up about her journey through addiction, incarceration, and the painful separation from her children—and how she rebuilt her life through resilience, recovery, and storytelling. Together, Rob, Jennifer, and Lara shine a light on the foster care system, the power of second chances, and the urgent need to support youth in care. 🎧 Listen & Subscribe: YouTube | Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | wherever you get your podcasts! 💬 Share your thoughts in the comments—we’d love to hear from you! 📅 Don’t miss it: In honor of National Foster Care Awareness Month, new episodes will be released every Tuesday in May. 🌐 Learn more & support our mission: www.comfortcases.org 📌 More Information: Children’s Action Network FosterMore 📱 Follow & Connect: Children’s Action Network: Instagram @childrensactionnetwork | X @childrensaction | Facebook Children’s Action Network FosterMore: Instagram @foster_more | X @fostermore | Facebook FosterMore Lara Love Hardin: Instagram @laralovehardin | Facebook Lara Love Hardin 📖 Get Lara’s book, The Many Lives of Mama Love, at your favorite bookstore. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

"When good people get together, great things happen." – Jamie Truman In this Best of Fostering Change episode, Rob Scheer sits down with Jamie Truman of Truman Charities, an organization dedicated to helping both local and national charities — including Comfort Cases — by hosting multiple fundraising events each year. The best part? 100% of the funds raised go directly to the charities they support. Over the past 15 years, Jamie and her husband Jerry have helped raise more than $2 million for various causes. Jamie is also the author of Vanishing Fathers: The Ripple Effect on Tomorrow's Generation, a #1 Amazon Best New Release, with all proceeds benefiting charities supporting at-risk youth. In this inspiring conversation, we discuss: The power of giving back to your community How Truman Charities creates a meaningful impact The vital role fathers play in shaping future generations Jamie also hosts The Truman Charities Podcast, available wherever you listen to podcasts. Learn more about Jamie & Truman Charities: 📚 Order her book: Vanishing Fathers on Amazon 🌐 Website: trumancharities.com 📸 Instagram: @jamie_trumancharities 📍 Facebook: trumancharities 💼 LinkedIn: jamietruman ✉️ Email: info@trumancharities.com If you enjoyed this episode, please like, share, and subscribe! Have a guest suggestion or feedback? Email us at info@comfortcases.org. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Welcome back to a special Best of Fostering Change episode! This week, we revisit a powerful conversation originally aired in March, featuring two changemakers in the world of child welfare and LGBTQ+ advocacy: Kate Trambitskaya, CEO of Spence-Chapin Services to Families and Children, and Brian Rosenberg, founder of GWK Academy Family Building. Join host Rob Scheer for an honest and urgent discussion about how federal cutbacks are impacting foster youth, LGBTQ+ families, and other vulnerable communities—and how you can help make a difference. 🔍 Why This Episode Matters: 💡 Kate Trambitskaya is a returning guest who continues to lead efforts that support expectant mothers, children in institutional care overseas, and adoptees here in the U.S. 🌈 Brian Rosenberg introduces the future of GWK Academy—expanding from supporting gay and queer men to serving all LGBTQ+ individuals in their family-building journeys starting March 2025. 🛠️ How You Can Help: 🔥 Don’t just listen—take action. 💬 Leave a comment or question below. ❤️ Like, share, and subscribe to spread the message. 📩 Contact us at: fosteringchange@comfortcases.org 🌐 Learn more at: https://www.comfortcases.org 📲 Connect with Our Guests: Spence-Chapin Services to Families and Children 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: https://www.instagram.com/gays_with_kids Instagram (GWK Academy): https://www.instagram.com/gwkacademy YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GWK LinkedIn (Brian Rosenberg): https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianrrosenberg/ 🎧 Subscribe for more powerful conversations that lead to real, lasting chang ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Happy July and welcome back to a Best Of episode of Fostering Change! In this lively and heartwarming conversation, host Rob Scheer reconnects with fan-favorite Doogie Sandtiger, also known as The Croc King — a man with a passion for comfort and color who has collected over 3,000 pairs of Crocs. You may have seen Doogie on The Today Show or follow him on social media. But beyond the viral Croc fame, Doogie's story is deeply personal. Like Rob — and many youth in foster care — Doogie never learned how to tie his shoes as a child. That’s where Crocs became more than footwear — they became a symbol of independence and identity. This episode is not just fun (we promise it is!), but it also delves into the real-life challenges faced by youth in foster care and how individuals like Rob and Doogie are working to make a difference. 👉 Know someone who should be a guest on Season 7 of Fostering Change? Email us at: info@comfortcases.org 🔗 Follow Doogie “The Croc King” on Social Media: 📘 Facebook: facebook.com/doogielicious 📸 Instagram: instagram.com/doogielish 🎵 TikTok: tiktok.com/@hardcroclife4me 💙 Thank you for listening and supporting Fostering Change! ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

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 [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.