The Forgotten Adoption Option Podcast
š The Forgotten Adoption Option PodcastāNow in its fifth seasonābrings you real stories and expert insights on adopting through foster care. Each month, host Marcy Bursac, Americaās Foster Care Adoption Mentor, interviews: ā Adoptive parents sharing their journeys ā Adults who aged out of foster care ā Child welfare experts š” 30% of kids in U.S. foster care are legally free for adoption. š Learn more at ForgottenAdoptionOption.com & subscribe today!
Episodes
Anna is a mom by adoption and birth whose personal journey led her to bridge a gap for families raising children with trauma histories. You might remember her from Season 1, when she and her husband Travis shared their adoption story. Now, Anna is a certified Master IEP CoachĀ® and Special Needs Church Consultant, equipping schools and faith communities to better support children and families impacted by adoption and trauma.
Meet my graphic novel writing coach Maria Rodgers OāRourke! Maria is a writer and certified Story Grid Editor. Her career began in advertising and public relations, moved to nonprofit leadership, and homed in on communications and writing after earning her masterās degree in pastoral studies. Maria is publisher and author of two womenās journals. Sheās contributed stories to the St. Louis Post Dispatch and the HuffPost, and to the ...
Josh, a finance professional from Erie, Pennsylvania, shares how a timely billboard sparked a life-changing decision for him and his wife, Elenaāto say yes to helping children in foster care. In this episode, youāll hear how Josh brings foster care adoption advocacy into his Fortune 500 workplace, openly sharing his journey with colleagues and finding meaningful ways to support children in care. His story offers inspiration and pra...
Vince Smith leads Keystone Family Alliance as its Executive Director, drawing on his extensive expertise in organizational leadership and community engagement to drive transformative programs. Over the years, Vince has spearheaded innovative outreach and sustainable initiatives that create opportunities for vulnerable children and families to thrive.
Andrew Lewis is a partner at KPMG and the founder of the KPMG National Foster Care and Adoption Network.Ā He is both a foster parent and adoptive parent who serves on the boards of Comfort Cases and the Center for Adoption Support and Education (CASE).
Karen Phillips didnāt plan to become a child welfare changemakerāshe simply said yes to becoming a foster parent. That yes set her on a path to help families in crisis long before the foster care system gets involved.
In this episode of The Forgotten Adoption Option Podcast, Karen shares how her lived experience fueled the creation of the 100 Families Initiative at Restore Hope Arkansas. Together with her team, sheās building tech-p...
EvaĀ Amador is a retired adoption attorney from Puerto Rico. She spent her the final years of her career navigating the legal process to help children find forever families.
ConnieĀ Going has spent over 25 years working in the child welfare system and is the adoptive parent of two teens including Davion and another young man - the boys became good friends and referred to themselves as brothers when living at the same group home.
Beverly Jenkins and I met as Invested Faith Fellows. She is the founder of the North County Innovation Center. During a meet up at her space, she shared she was an adoptive mom, too. She went on to share she adopted a teenager from her youth group. Listen to this episode to hear how their forever family came together.
Foster Care Adoption Awareness in the Classroom: Lessons from Two Educators
In this episode, I sit down with Jamie and Linda, two passionate elementary school teachers who have been instrumental in shaping and implementing the Foster Care Adoption Awareness Reading Program. Jamie, a kindergarten teacher, collaborated with me to develop the original lesson plan and co-taught the pilot session in her classroom in 2023. Linda, a 3rd-gr...
Amanda Denning is the Director of Extreme Recruitment for the Foster & Adoptive Care Coalition. Amanda is herself half adopted and, as of a few months ago, has become the kinship placement for her niece.Ā
She has been working in child welfare for more than 10 years first as a recruiter and now as the director of a unique and intensive approach to finding permanent homes for children in foster care who are considered hard to plac...
In addition to being the mother of 3 daughters, 1 through adoption, ā Katerina Canyonā is an award-winning poet and author.Ā
During our conversation, we revisit stories from past guests, including ā Ben & Emilyā , who faced the unexpected challenge of their paperwork getting lost during the licensing process, and ā Thea & Amyā , who discuss how their ā Family-Matchā technology is changing the way waiting children are matched wi...
Rene by day works in tech. As a single woman, she cares for her sister's children. In the foster care space we call this a 'kinship placement'. Kin refers to being a family member or someone related by blood.
I think you'll find her story remarkable and also empathize with the challenges she faces.
Brian Murphy is both the Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer and Shaneetra Gross serves asĀ Chief Administrative Officer for Gift of Adoption Fund. Gift of Adoption provides adoption assistance grants to complete the adoptions of children in vulnerable circumstances.Ā
Michael, who resided in California, had a successful career as a technology manager within the banking industry. His dedication and insights continue to inspire those who knew him.
In this episode, you'll hear about theĀ realities of fosterĀ care and humanĀ trafficking overlapping.
Janet Craig wrote and directed Wake Up. She has experience as a foster mom and has a degree in theatre, was a professional tennis player, and is a veteran actress. What we can now stream and find on DVD and Blu-Ray is a result of over 7 years of work including filming during COVID.Ā
Alana shares her perspective of the story was shared by her adoptive mom Robin in Season 1.
Allison Davis Maxon is a nationally recognized expert in the fields of child welfare and childrenās mental health. She specializes in attachment, developmental trauma and permanency/adoption.Ā
AllisonĀ co-authored "Seven Core Issues in Adoption and Permanency: A Guide to Promoting Understanding and Healing in Adoption, Foster Care, Kinship Families and Third Party Reproduction". She is the Executive Director of the National Center o...
In 2013Ā Davion Only-Going warmed hearts around the world after standing before a Florida church congregation and asking for a family to adopt him. A few years later he was adopted. Today, he is a chef in the TampaĀ area.
Courtney is the host of FosterCon and she is the foster care recruitment manager for America's Kids Belong. She and her husband have fostered more than 60 children. She is the mother of 9 children - 6 through adoption.Ā FosterCon is a series of virtually delivered webinars featuring compelling content and nationally renowned advocates for foster care. The events are designed for people who want to explore becoming foster and/o...
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