Fostering Change

This episode of Fostering Change was originally scheduled to air in March — but after recording, Rob Scheer felt the conversation was too important to wait. He personally requested that it be released early so listeners could hear it as soon as possible.Rob is joined by Rachel Bruno, a Nashville-based author, speaker, and advocate whose deeply personal experience with the child welfare system ignited a powerful call for accountability and reform.After her children were unlawfully removed by child protective services, Rachel found herself confronting a system where parental rights, due process, and family integrity are often overlooked. Instead of staying silent, she fought back — ultimately securing a seven-figure civil rights settlement and emerging as a leading national voice for families facing similar injustices.Rachel is the author of Fractured Hope: A Mother’s Fight for Justice and founder of Giver of Light, an organization dedicated to supporting families navigating child welfare involvement. Together, Rob and Rachel discuss hope after trauma, the urgent need for accountability, and why lived experience must guide ethical, child-centered reform.Episode Highlights• How one mother’s fight sparked national conversations about reform• What families experience when due process is ignored• Accountability and justice within child welfare• How Giver of Light supports families in crisis• Why lived experience belongs at the center of policy change📘 Book RecommendationRob strongly recommends Rachel’s book:Fractured Hope: A Mother’s Fight for Justice — a powerful firsthand account that exposes the realities families face inside the child welfare system and why reform is urgently needed.👉 Get the book directly from Rachel:https://rachelbruno.com/book/Purchasing directly supports her advocacy and helps amplify voices too often unheard.About the GuestRachel Bruno is an author, speaker, and advocate for parental rights. Her lived experience navigating the child welfare system made her a national leader in reform. After securing a civil rights settlement for the unlawful removal of her children, she authored Fractured Hope and founded Giver of Light. She continues to serve in leadership and advisory roles, promoting family integrity, accountability, and ethical child welfare practices.Connect with Rachel & Giver of Light🌐 Website: www.thegiveroflight.org📘 Facebook: facebook.com/rachelbrunospeaks📸 Instagram: @rachelbrunospeaks🐦 X/Twitter: @bruno.rachel🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/rachelbruno

Nonprofits exist to serve people — not paperwork.But too often, outdated financial systems slow growth, strain leadership, and pull focus away from mission-driven work.This week on Fostering Change, Rob Scheer sits down with Stephen Garten, Founder & CEO of Charity Charge, a Public Benefit Corporation built exclusively to support the financial needs of nonprofit organizations.Stephen launched Charity Charge in 2015 after recognizing a widespread problem: nonprofits were forced to rely on banking and financial tools never designed for how they actually operate. Today, Charity Charge serves more than 3,000 nonprofits nationwide, offering nonprofit-specific credit cards, bookkeeping and compliance tools, gift cards, and over $60 million in working capital — empowering leaders to focus on impact instead of infrastructure.Rob and Stephen also reflect on their recent crossover conversation, following Rob’s appearance on Stephen’s podcast, The Charity Charge Nonprofit Spotlight, where they continued discussing leadership, transparency, and sustainability in the social sector.🎧 Watch or listen to Rob’s interview here:https://www.charitycharge.com/nonprofit-resources/rob-scheer-comfort-cases/Episode Highlights• Why traditional banking often fails nonprofit organizations• How Charity Charge was built specifically for mission-driven leaders• The connection between financial transparency and donor trust• Lessons learned from supporting thousands of nonprofits nationwide• What it takes to build long-term sustainability without losing sight of missionAbout the GuestStephen Garten is the Founder and CEO of Charity Charge, a Public Benefit Corporation providing financial infrastructure built exclusively for nonprofits. Since launching in 2015, Charity Charge has supported more than 3,000 organizations, delivered over $60 million in working capital, and granted more than $1 million through the Charity Charge Foundation.His work has been featured by Forbes, Fast Company, and The Today Show, and he hosts The Charity Charge Nonprofit Spotlight, highlighting nonprofit and social impact leaders across the country.Connect with Charity Charge🌐 Website: www.charitycharge.com📘 Facebook: facebook.com/CharityCharge📸 Instagram: @charitycharge🐦 X/Twitter: @charitycharge🔗 LinkedIn: Charity Charge

As Fostering Change continues through Season 7, this episode dives into an urgent but often unseen issue: menstrual and postpartum poverty, and how it impacts girls in foster care and communities around the world.Rob Scheer sits down with Yvonne Esipila Patron, Co-Founder and CEO of the PATESI Foundation, an organization working globally to ensure women and girls have the dignity, resources, and education they deserve.In 2025, Comfort Cases and PATESI began a powerful partnership to make sure no girl entering foster care faces her first night without essential menstrual supplies. Through this collaboration, PATESI donates up to 10,000 emergency menstrual kits each year, included in Comfort Cases® backpacks for girls ages eight and up — providing dignity, protection, and confidence during moments of deep transition.Together, Rob and Yvonne unpack why menstrual poverty remains invisible, why postpartum poverty continues long after childbirth, and why involving men and boys is key to ending stigma and driving real change.Episode Highlights• The global impact of menstrual poverty and why it’s rarely discussed• How entering foster care can make menstruation even more stressful for young girls• What the Comfort Cases × PATESI partnership delivers each year• Why postpartum poverty deserves national attention• How male allyship strengthens long-term solutionsAbout the GuestYvonne Esipila Patron is the Co-Founder and CEO of the PATESI Foundation, a global nonprofit dedicated to ending menstrual and postpartum poverty. With a background in public health and sustainable development, she has spent her career advancing reproductive health equity, youth empowerment, and community-driven solutions.Connect with PATESI🌐 Website: www.patesifoundation.org📘 Facebook: facebook.com/patesifoundation📸 Instagram: @patesifoundation

As Fostering Change continues into the new year, this episode tackles one of the most urgent issues facing child welfare today: the national shortage of foster parents and what it means for children who need safe, stable homes.Rob Scheer is joined by Kelsey Davis, National Director of Foster Parent Recruitment, and Stacy Brindley, National Treatment Director at StepStone Family & Youth Services. Together, they explore why fewer families are stepping forward, how misconceptions about fostering hinder progress, and why supporting foster parents is essential to better outcomes for children.With more than 343,000 children in foster care and fewer than 200,000 licensed foster homes nationwide, this conversation goes beyond the numbers. Kelsey and Stacy share how StepStone approaches recruitment differently, centers trauma-informed care, and treats the entire family as part of the healing process.Episode HighlightsThis episode explores why the foster parent shortage continues to grow and how it directly impacts children who need consistency and belonging. The discussion challenges common myths about fostering, explains why recruitment messaging must change, and emphasizes that strong outcomes depend on strong support for foster parents.Listeners also hear why trauma-informed care must include the whole family, not just the child, and how communities can get involved with StepStone through volunteering, respite support, and national initiatives beyond fostering.As Rob notes, “We must get more qualified families to support our youth in foster care.” And as Kelsey reminds us, fostering works best when families know they are not doing it alone.About the GuestsKelsey Davis is the National Director of Foster Parent Recruitment at StepStone Family & Youth Services. A former Title I educator with an MBA in Marketing, she leads national strategies to recruit, train, and retain foster families through people-centered, community-driven outreach.Stacy Brindley is StepStone’s National Treatment Director and a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with nearly 30 years of experience. She has worked across residential treatment, therapeutic foster care, independent living, and in-home services, and now leads trauma-informed and evidence-based practices nationwide.Learn MoreWebsite: https://www.stepstoneyouth.com/

In this powerful episode, Rob Scheer sits down with Lindsay Lendyak, South Carolina State Director for Isaiah 117 House, to talk about one of the most overlooked moments in foster care: Removal Day.Instead of children waiting for hours in government offices, Isaiah 117 House creates a warm, home-like space where kids can exhale, eat a meal, change into clean clothes, and feel safe while caseworkers find placement. Lindsay shares why this model is a true game changer for children, foster families, and social workers alike, and how South Carolina is rapidly expanding its footprint.What You Will Hear in This Episode* What Removal Day really looks like, and why so many youth remember it as the hardest day of their lives* How Isaiah 117 House replaces a cold, adult-centered setting with comfort, dignity, and stability* The heart of the model: trauma-informed volunteers providing steady, calm presence during a chaotic moment* How community support builds a stronger system around children and the professionals serving them* South Carolina growth updates, including York County and new houses coming soonQuotes to Highlight* Lindsay on why this matters: “Nearly all of them recount removal day as the worst day of their lives.”* Lindsay on the mission: “We can fix how foster care begins for our kids.”* Lindsay on what kids experience at Isaiah 117 House: “It’s a yes… For a kid who’s lived a life of nos, that is a game changer.”* Lindsay on why the system needs community: “Every single person should help a child in foster care. Full stop.”South Carolina Updates* York County opened September 2025* Greenville County expected to open early spring 2026* Horry County fundraising begins February 2026* Lexington County kickoff coming early 2026Why This Episode MattersThis conversation is a reminder that children enter foster care because of choices other people made, and that the first hours of care should not add trauma. Isaiah 117 House proves that a better beginning is possible, and it starts with community saying yes to dignity.Links and Ways to ConnectMain Website: https://isaiah117house.com/York County Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/isaiah117houseyorkcoscYork County Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/isaiah117houseyorkcoscLinkTrees:York County: https://linktr.ee/isaiah117houseyorkcoscGreenville County: https://linktr.ee/isaiah117housegreenvillescHorry County: https://linktr.ee/isaiah117househorrycosc

As Fostering Change continues into the new year, this episode tackles one of the most urgent — and evolving — challenges facing young people today: staying safe, informed, and supported in a digital world.Rob Scheer is joined by Jenny Coleman, a nationally recognized expert in child welfare and abuse prevention, and a former foster parent whose work is grounded in both professional expertise and lived experience.Jenny serves as Director of Stop It Now!, a national organization focused on preventing child sexual abuse through education and early intervention. She also leads What’s OK?, a first-of-its-kind online platform and free helpline where teens and young adults can anonymously ask questions about relationships, boundaries, sexting, consent, and online behavior — without fear or shame.In this conversation, Jenny helps parents, caregivers, and educators better understand how to talk with young people about tough topics — especially as AI-generated and non-consensual images become an increasing form of peer-driven harm.Episode HighlightsYouth Safety in the Digital AgeHow sexting, cyberbullying, and online exploitation are changing — and what adults need to know.New & Alarming TrendsWhy recent data shows a sharp rise in AI-generated inappropriate images targeting teens, most often created and shared by peers.What’s OK?How this research-backed platform empowers youth ages 14–21 to ask honest questions and get reliable guidance.What Caregivers Can DoPractical steps for parents and caregivers, including how to respond, stay connected, and support youth without judgment.A Foster Care PerspectiveWhy trauma-informed, prevention-focused conversations are especially critical for foster and adopted youth.About Jenny ColemanJenny Coleman, MA, LMHC, has spent more than 30 years working in child welfare as a clinician, educator, and prevention advocate. She is the Director of Stop It Now! and leads What’s OK?, an innovative online resource for youth navigating questions about sexual behavior, consent, and boundaries. A former foster parent and longtime foster care trainer, Jenny brings a compassionate, prevention-centered approach to keeping young people safe.ResourcesStop It Now!: www.stopitnow.orgWhat’s OK?: www.whatsok.org✨ Why This Episode MattersThis episode is a reminder that prevention starts with conversation. When young people have access to trustworthy information — and adults willing to listen without judgment — safety and resilience follow.🎧 Fostering Change continues next week with another powerful conversation.Thank you for being part of a community committed to protecting, educating, and supporting young people — especially when the topics are hard, but the stakes are high.