Author Celeste L. Edmunds discusses #GarbageBagGirl, #childadvocacy on #ConversationsLIVE ~ @celesteedmunds

Host Cyrus Webb welcomes author Celeste L. Edmunds to Conversations LIVE to discuss her book GARBAGE BAG GIRL---and what it's been like to see the response.

www.celesteedmunds.com

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Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Welcome to Conversations Live. For morethan a decade, we've brought you the
best in books, entertainment, celebrityinterviews and current events. When the movers
and shakers of the world have somethingto say to you, they say it
to us first. Here's your host, Cyrus Webb. Welcome back everyone,

(00:20):
the Conversation's live. I'm your hostService Web. Glad you walk and join
us once again for a radio audiencetuning in at WYAD ninety four point one
FM and WYAD online dot com.We're glad that you all can be with
us. Also, tuny ins areonline affiliates including iHeart Radio on Amazon Music
for that you all could be withus as well. So if you're looking
for something that inspires you and remindsyou of what's possible in your life despite

(00:42):
your circumstances, I think you guysare going to really enjoy this next segment.
We're excited to welcome off the CelestelEdmunds to our broadcast today. She's
someone that's also known as the executivedirector of the Christmas Box International. Her
book, Garbage Bag Girl, isone that is already impacting lives. Being
able to share it only her ownperson, no journey, but also reminding
us all of what's possible, nomatter how dark the situation may seem,

(01:03):
how we can always be able tolean into the light. When I talk
to a lesson only about the sharingof her story, but also what has
been late for her to see theimpact it's making, and also her continued
mission to help others as well.So let's thank you again for the time,
and they did appreciate it. Thankyou, Sarrus, Thank you for
having me. The pleasure is definitelyall mind. When I first heard about
this book of Celesti, I wasreally excited about the opportunity to speak with

(01:25):
you. I want to begin bytalking about the response that the book came
out the end of last year.What has it been like for you to
see the way that people are connectingto you and your story. It's quite
humbling, honestly, and it's inspiringthat it is hopeful. I wasn't sure
how people would feel. It's quitegraphic in the beginning. It does have

(01:48):
a happy ending if you can getthrough that part, but it is that
so I wasn't sure how it wouldresonate with people. And I've just had
such an overwhelming response of people thankingme that had been in the system for
sharing our story, and it reallyhas brought recognition to the fact that we
have about five hundred thousand, halfa million children in the foster care system

(02:10):
at any given time in the US, and they're people that get forget and
forgotten right. They're children whose voicesare no longer heard that we think,
oh, they're in the system,somebody's taking care of them, and the
reality is maybe not, We don'tknow. Oftentimes, many of these children

(02:30):
have the same experiences that I hadand that happened to me forty years ago,
so we know that it's still,you know, happening, and we
know that kids are still feeling likethey don't have those voices. They're just
little people and they're told, youknow, get what you get, be
grateful for what you get. Ifyou're an older child over the age of

(02:50):
four, oftentimes the messages you know, you're very hard to adopt out,
you're going to be very difficult toplace. People want babies, they don't
want older children, and these arehuman beings. This isn't their fault that
has happened. So it's really justbeen great to bring an awareness from that
perspective that these little kids and theseyoung adults still exist and they still matter

(03:15):
and they want the same things asevery other child wants. Yeah, I
want to talk about what you justsaid, a lesson that is about worth
and value because I think so manypeople those are some of the things that
we all grapple with. But asyou mentioned, especially children that are in
difficult circumstances that are outside of theircontrol. Do what has it been like
you to look at the cover ofyour book and to look at that little

(03:37):
girl and to be able to sayto her that you matter. I do
appreciate you bring that up, becausegarbage Bag Girl name the title of the
book. More significant than that,it's about the mentality it starts to happen
to you when you start to feellike garbage because people don't want you.

(04:00):
That's how you feel. There's aconstant rejection that's happening, and that has
been such a key, key message. When I look at that little seven
year old girl on the front cover, and that's me. I used to
be very shameful and very fearful,really sad that nobody wanted me, which

(04:23):
meant nobody loved me, which meantI didn't love myself, and so it
really wasn't until writing the book thatI learned much of what was going on
in my head wasn't true, butI didn't know better. And I've been
able to really circle back, youknow, and kind of drill in on
that and why that happened and whythat happens to kids in this situation.
So it's it's a very healing experience. And is that also usless because there

(04:47):
are so many things that we hearand there are individuals who when they've gone
through dark times, in dark situations, they can either lean into that darkness
and go down a very rough road, and others when they have an opportunity
to lean into the light and notonly want to do that for themselves but
also help others. Is that kindof the basis of what the Christmas Boss

(05:08):
International is there for to be ableto help other people be able to find
that light for themselves too. Yeah, we have our organization has three emergency
shelters and those are places for childrento go who are in these situations.
Before they get place so they're firsttaken into state custody for abuse, neglect,

(05:29):
trafficking, or homelessness, and theystay with us about two weeks to
a month. And it isn't thefact that shelter care is unique. That's
not what's unique to us. Whatis special at our shelters is that we
do two things. We try tobring all services under one roof so that
we limit transitions for them, andwe keep siblings together. That's definitely something

(05:51):
that is still my greatest loss asa child is we didn't keep brothers and
sisters to get other than we keepabout a thousand a year together just in
our three locations alone. And whenyou've lost everything else, all of your
belongings, all of your family,everything, you knew your siblings are going

(06:13):
to be the very last connection thatyou have to anything that might have mattered
at all to you. So uskeeping them together is probably what I'm the
most proud of in our programs,something that's the most fulfilling. And I
do agree with what you said earlierabout the fact that I think we get
into it's not even children adults.Our self worth and our self value defines

(06:40):
all the decisions that we pretty muchstart to make in our life and what
we're willing to tolerate and what we'rewilling to give back, and for me,
the book really helped drive that infor myself. And as I learned
more about what happened to me,not what was wrong with me, but
what happened to me, and Ichanged my own mindset, it started to

(07:05):
begin to trickle out and change themindset of those around me. And that's
a that's a great thing, right, that's a great thing to share.
That's what community really is about.That when we're bettering ourselves, we're bettering
everybody around us, despite the natureof you know, what we've learned.
So that's been awesome, that's beenthat's been a great, great part of

(07:29):
the book. So, as youmentioned at the beginning of our conversation here,
and we're going to let our audienceand of course how they can get
the book for themselves. But youmentioned something interesting, and that is a
lot of times when we hear aboutchildren that have been put in foster care,
the falsetercure system, we think thatthat's normally, that means everything's going
to be okay. So I'm curiousthen, you know, for yourself,

(07:50):
you know, as you kind ofthink about not only coause the Falseter cure
system, what do you hope thatthose who are a part of that system,
what do you hope they get fromyour book that they can be able
to better appreciate as well, eitherabout the work they do or those that
they take in well for the kids. It's a message that their voice matters,

(08:11):
that what happened to them is intheir fault, and very much that
they matter for those that are helpingchildren. I recognize now being in the
nonprofit sector, how truly complicated CHIWWelfare is, how difficult those jobs are.
They're very understaffed, very underpaid.As a system, the amount of

(08:35):
children that they have to take justincreases, And so I understand that that
is hard. But I think whenwe're in a system, and a system
is not designed to raise children.People are designed to raise children. Communities
are supposed to raise children. Sowhen we get caught into the system and
the rules and what we can doand what we can't do, I say,
can we pause for a minute andremember that these are kids theses?

(09:01):
Aren't you know? People were runningthrough a program. These are kids who,
regardless of the why we chose toremove them as as a system out
of their home, we still tookthem away from any normalcy that they ever
knew. And in return, it'sokay to pause and have empathy as we're

(09:22):
creating a new structure for them,and remember that they're they're like every other
child, and in the way thatthey still need to be heard. They
still want the same things that otherkids want. They still want new things,
you know, they still want theirvoice to matter, and I think
it's easy to get caught in asystem and just forget those things. So

(09:43):
for me, I want to keepreminding everybody that these are real children,
and they're oftentimes we don't know ifthey're children we know, but oftentimes they
really are. They can be theycan be children in your own neighborhood,
or your church, or you know, whatever your community is. They very
well could be any of those childrenyou don't know that you don't know them.

(10:05):
And so I think bringing it homeand bringing it real onto the forefront
is something we just have to keepdoing. And that's why we so appreciate
so les. You're telling your story, not only of course being able to
write the book Garbage Bag Girl,but also to be able to speak out
as you're doing now. Again everyone, we've been speaking today with Celestil Edmunds.

(10:26):
Her book is called Garbage Bad Girlis already has five star ratings on
Amazon. You all can get yourcopy there, of course order it from
your favorite local bookstore as well.So let's where can our audience go to
stay connected with you and the greatwork that you're doing. Thank you.
You can visit my website, celestEdmunds dot com. I have a bunch
of information on there, including alink to be able to order the book,

(10:50):
But I really encourage people to finda way that they can help.
Reach out to your local nonprofit,find out how they're bridging the gap and
the child welfare them and see howyou can fit in fit in to that
system to help love it well.So let us thank you again. I
really appreciate you stopping by the programand looking forward to speaking with you again

(11:11):
as well. Thank you so much. Have a great day. Thank you
as well, and we thank youraudience for tuning into another great segment of
Conversations Live. Until next time.I'm your host. Sewers website is always
enjoy your day, enjoy your life, and enjoy your world. Thank you
all for choosing Conversations Lives. Thenit's gon make today amazing take care,