Stephanie Russell & Jillian Kay

Matt Starkey: Art, Advocacy, and the Fight to Keep Children Safe

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2185315/fan_mail/new] What does it mean to tell the story of an organization that protects the most vulnerable children in your community — without exploiting those children's stories?  That critical question sits at the heart of Matt Starkey's work. As the Public Information Officer and Community Events Coordinator for Athens County Children Services, Matt serves as the bridge between the agency's essential work and the public that funds, supports, and depends on it.  In Episode 6 of The Anna Jinja Show's ACCS season, Matt joins host Anna Jinja and assistant producer Lizzi Montanti for a masterclass conversation about ethical storytelling, public transparency, and what it truly takes to keep children safe.  Matt speaks with incredible clarity and conviction about several core themes:  * On community reporting: "The only way we do our jobs is if people tell us when something's happening. Listen to children. And if you hear something that doesn't seem right — report it. Err on the side of caution."  * On the power of showing up: "It takes someone reaching out to a child consistently. Sometimes they slap your hand away. But you keep reaching."  * On what art can do that a fact sheet can't: Matt describes how the agency's iconic community mural — designed alongside five local high school students — was built to spark genuine emotion. "We don't need you to think about when KidFest is. We want you to drive by and feel happy." The episode also features a cool milestone: the debut collaboration between Athens Poet Laureate (2020–2022) Wendy McVicker and folk singer-songwriter Bruce Dalzell. These two pillars of the Athens arts community had never worked together before but came together here to debut an original piece created in response to ACCS's mission.  This is a cornerstone episode of the ACCS season of The Anna Jinja Show — a brilliant intersection of child welfare, poetry, music, and vital community conversation. Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2185315/support]

Lisa Seitz & Lizzi Montanti

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2185315/fan_mail/new] What does it take to earn the trust of a teenager who has been let down by the very systems meant to protect them?  In Episode 5 of The Anna Jinja Show's Athens County Children Services season, host Anna Jinja sits down with Lisa Seitz — a Life Skills Caseworker at ACCS with over twelve years of experience supporting youth in foster care ages 14 to 21. Lisa's work is both practical and profound: she helps young people navigate college enrollment, secure housing, obtain state IDs, manage savings, and develop the independent living skills they'll need to thrive as adults.  But the foundation of all of it, Lisa says, is trust — and trust is built in the smallest moments. In car rides where neither person has to make eye contact. In following through on a promise written in a calendar before the next visit. In explaining what an organ donor card means before a teenager is asked to make that decision at the DMV counter.  "They've been let down a lot in their lives," Lisa says simply. "I just follow through with the simplest things."  The episode opens with something rare and beautiful: an original poem titled "I Can Attest," written by the show's assistant producer Lizzi Montanti after a summer interning at ACCS. Written from the perspective of a caseworker, the poem captures what so often goes unseen in this work — the quiet, persistent act of bearing witness to a child's story.  For anyone who works in child welfare, education, or family services — or anyone who has ever been the one caring adult in a young person's life — this episode is for you.  Lisa also has a message for anyone considering foster care: "You don't have to be perfect. You don't have to be rich. We're just looking for people willing to open their homes and their hearts."   Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2185315/support]

Dan Fuchs & Riley James

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2185315/fan_mail/new] What does it look like to truly meet people where they are — not where we think they should be?  In Episode 4 of The Anna Jinja Show's Athens County Children Services season, host Anna Jinja speaks with Dan Fuchs, a school outreach worker with ACCS stationed at Amesville Elementary in the Federal Hocking School District. Dan's path is unconventional: after eight years in full-time pastoral ministry, he found a new calling in prevention-focused family services — and the transition, he says, has felt entirely consistent with who he's always been.  Dan speaks with rare honesty about the philosophy behind his work: that trust is built incrementally, that vulnerability is a gift, and that meeting a surface-level need — a gas card, a bag of groceries — is often the first step toward something much deeper.  He also shares a challenge worth sitting with: "What if I'm wrong?" — a question he believes could transform not just our personal relationships, but our cultural ones.  The episode also features a song by Riley James, an Ohio University musician and Brick City Records artist, whose song "Letting Go" weaves beautifully through the episode's themes of acceptance and identity.  Whether you work in child welfare, education, community development, or simply want to be a better neighbor — this conversation is for you. Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2185315/support]

Laura Schaeffer & Becca Lachman

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2185315/fan_mail/new] "My darling, you aren't mine."   Those five words opened one of the most tender, honest, and hopeful conversations we've ever had on this show.  Episode 3 of our Athens County Children Services season features poet and foster-adoptive mom Becca Lachman and Athens County Children Services (ACCS) caseworker Laura Schaeffer.   They talk about:  💛 What it means to belong to someone — and to let go  💛 The poem Becca wrote in the middle of fostering a newborn  💛 Why Laura says the families she works with have the hard job — not her  💛 Why our community needs more people willing to open their homes   "If you want to know your community in a new light, to make connections you never would have before — fostering will do that." — Becca Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2185315/support]

Stephanie Russell & Jillian Kay

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2185315/fan_mail/new] What does it look like to offer sturdiness to someone navigating one of life's most complex systems?  That's the question at the heart of Episode 2 of The Anna Jinja Show's Athens County Children Services Season — and Stephanie Russell answers it beautifully. Stephanie is an independently licensed clinical mental health counselor (LPCC) and Treatment Foster Care Coordinator with the Southeastern Treatment Foster Care Network. A lifelong Athens County resident, she has built her career championing individuals and families in rural Appalachia through the intersecting challenges of mental health, child welfare, and substance dependence.  What sets Stephanie apart is her philosophy: that to serve others well, you must first fuel yourself — through solitude, self-reflection, and yes, occasionally running to the hills of Appalachia to recharge.  Alongside Stephanie, we hear from Jillian Kay, an Ohio University music production student and Athens singer-songwriter whose original song "Sometimes Blues" speaks directly to the courage it takes to face difficult emotions with honesty and grace.  This conversation is for anyone who works in service of others — and who sometimes wonders how to keep going. Stephanie and Jillian show us the way. Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2185315/support]