Fostering Change

Welcome to Season 7 of Fostering Change!Believe it or not, this is our 243rd episode — and it’s all thanks to YOU and your support. Starting this season, new episodes will drop every Tuesday, just like you requested!👉 We’d love your help: after watching/listening, please leave a review. It takes just a minute and makes a huge difference with the “mysterious algorithm,” helping us share our incredible guests with even more people.🌟 Today’s Guest: Bob DaltonWe’re kicking off Season 7 with our friend and Comfort Cases supporter, Bob Dalton — founder of Sackcloth & Ashes, the company behind stunning Italian-made blankets. For every blanket sold, one is donated to a local shelter. Bob and his team have already given countless blankets to Comfort Cases, and we couldn’t be more grateful.In this episode, Rob and Bob dive into:Why community matters now more than everHow Sackcloth & Ashes is transforming giving with a one-for-one modelBob’s exciting new app LOCL, designed to reconnect us with our neighbors, groups, and events nearby💡 More About Bob:Bob Dalton is an entrepreneur, keynote speaker, and social designer on a mission to reclaim human connection in the digital age. Named a Forbes Changemaker and CNN Champion of Change, he’s donated hundreds of thousands of blankets through Sackcloth & Ashes and now, through LOCL, is building digital tools to help people connect locally.📌 Learn More:🌐 sackclothandashes.com🌐 locl.com

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 NetworkFosterMore📱 Follow & Connect:Children’s Action Network: Instagram @childrensactionnetwork | X @childrensaction | Facebook Children’s Action NetworkFosterMore: Instagram @foster_more | X @fostermore | Facebook FosterMoreLara Love Hardin: Instagram @laralovehardin | Facebook Lara Love Hardin📖 Get Lara’s book, The Many Lives of Mama Love, at your favorite bookstore.

"When good people get together, great things happen." – Jamie TrumanIn 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 communityHow Truman Charities creates a meaningful impactThe vital role fathers play in shaping future generationsJamie 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.comIf you enjoyed this episode, please like, share, and subscribe! Have a guest suggestion or feedback? Email us at info@comfortcases.org.

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 ChildrenFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/spencechapinInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/spencechapinsvc/Twitter/X: https://x.com/spencechapinsvcLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/71342/GWK Academy / Gays With KidsFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/GaysWithKidsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/gays_with_kidsInstagram (GWK Academy): https://www.instagram.com/gwkacademyYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GWKLinkedIn (Brian Rosenberg): https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianrrosenberg/🎧 Subscribe for more powerful conversations that lead to real, lasting chang

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!

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 BridgeSpent 11 years in foster careGraduated from Wesleyan University and Harvard Law SchoolLed efforts to shut down abusive institutionsFormer CEO of The Alliance for Children’s RightsCo-founder of National Adoption Day and New Village Girls AcademyNYT bestselling author of Hope’s BoyServes on the Arizona Foster Care Review Board📲 Follow Andrew:Facebook: facebook.com/andrew.bridge.9041Instagram: @andrewbridgejdTwitter/X: @AndrewBridgeJDThreads: @AndrewBridgeJD🔗 Learn More About The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption:Website: https://www.davethomasfoundation.org/Instagram: @dtfaFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/DaveThomasFoundationforAdoption/

Welcome to the Season 6 FINALE of Fostering Change! 🎉What an incredible season it's been — filled with inspiring, motivating, and heartfelt stories. THANK YOU for being part of our journey, for tuning in each week, and for all your comments and reviews. We do this for YOU. 💙📅 Coming Soon:Starting June 17, join us for our "Best of" Summer Series — a special collection of our favorite episodes. Whether you’re re-listening or discovering them for the first time, we hope these powerful stories inspire you all over again.🔥 Mark your calendar:Season 7 premieres on September 2, and we’re returning to weekly episodes every Tuesday! More guests, more voices, and even more impact. Have a guest suggestion? Email us at: info@comfortcases.org🎙️ Today’s Season Finale Guest: Dr. Kisha DavisThere’s no better way to wrap this season than with the amazing Dr. Kisha Davis — family physician, public health leader, and a dear friend of Rob Scheer and the Comfort Cases family.Kisha shares the powerful legacy of her grandmother in her new biography:📖 “The Making of a Pearl” – Buy the book on AmazonIn this episode, you'll hear heartfelt stories of resilience, love, and history passed down over weekday breakfasts with her grandmother, Ida Pearl Green, who lived to be 106. Dr. Davis also discusses her work in the Quince Orchard community, her role as Montgomery County’s Chief Health Officer, and her involvement in the documentary Finding Fellowship — co-produced with her brother and previous Fostering Change guest, Jason Green.✨ Don’t miss this powerful conversation about family, legacy, and leadership.🔗 Connect with Dr. Kisha Davis:📘 Facebook: facebook.com/kisha.davis2📸 Instagram: @drkishadavis🐦 Twitter/X: @kishadavismd📱 Threads: @drkishadavis💼 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/daviskisha#ComfortCases #FosteringChange #FosterCareAwareness

Welcome to Fostering Change! Today marks the final installment of our special episodes for National Foster Care Awareness Month. We hope you've enjoyed the series—and, more importantly, learned something meaningful from each conversation. As always, we encourage you to share your thoughts in the comments and pass these episodes along to others.In today’s episode, we welcome back one of Rob’s favorite guests: Charell Star, who first joined us in Season 5. Charell gained national attention when she was featured in Humans of New York (link below), and she returns to discuss her powerful new book, Trash Bag Tales and Other Stories from an Accidentally Happy Life. The book offers readers a raw, heartfelt, and often humorous look at what it means to claim the joyful life you deserve.Charell is also the featured subject in the award-winning documentary Feeling Wanted, which chronicles her time in foster care and is now used as a training resource by child welfare organizations around the world.We absolutely loved this episode—and we’ve already invited Charell back for Season 7!📚 Want to read Charell’s book?Find it at your favorite bookstore or purchase it on Amazon:https://www.amazon.com/Trash-Bag-Tales-Stories-Accidentally/dp/B0F24H8DXS📲 Connect with Charell:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/charellstar/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charellstar/Read her “Humans of New York” story:https://www.instagram.com/p/CUK7yfSrFT3/?hl=en🎧 One more episode of Season 6 drops next week! After that, we’ll take a short break and share some “Best Of” episodes before returning with Season 7 this fall.💌 Got thoughts or guest suggestions? Email us at: info@comfortcases.orgThank you for being a GOOD HUMAN. 💙

On today’s episode of Fostering Change, we continue our special acknowledgment that May is National Foster Care Awareness Month. We hope you have taken some moments to reflect on what you can do to support those in the foster care system: donate, volunteer your time, mentor, or even consider taking steps to be a CASA or foster parent. Thank you for all you do!If you’d like a simple way to support Comfort Cases, here’s an idea: You can participate in the Hundred X program. Click on the following link, and you’ll be guided to complete surveys about brands and companies you are familiar with. Comfort Cases will receive $1.60 for every survey you fill out (and it only takes 2 minutes max for each!) https://programs.hundredx.com/givewithoutspendingNow, on to today’s episode: For 8 years, we have worked with the team at Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield in Indiana, and have expanded that partnership throughout the country, literally giving away THOUSANDS of our Comfort Cases backpacks to social service agencies and youth experiencing foster care.Today, we speak with Aimee Christian, a Fostering Connections Case Manager with Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield. Aimee and Rob Scheer have a lively discussion that focuses on the positive changes that can be made to improve the foster care system.Some of the points they cover include changing our vocabulary so we’re not labeling these youth, changing the focus from just on the child to the entire family, and building and improving relationships with the birth family and the foster family.Aimee and Rob will certainly motivate you to—at minimum—give new thoughts to the foster care system and—at best—possibly motivate you to consider becoming a foster parent yourself!We know you’ll enjoy this interview. Thank you again to Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield for being such a valuable and supportive partner to Comfort Cases all these years! ​​The partnership between Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield and Comfort Cases has grown since 2018. Since the expansion, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield’s affiliated health plans have hosted dozens of packing parties across 16 states, Washington DC, and Puerto Rico, providing thousands of Comfort Cases and XL duffel bags to youth in foster care nationwide.For more information about the foster care system or how you can support Comfort Cases, please visit our website: www.comfortcases.org. If you have any questions, comments, or guest suggestions, please reach out to us at info@comfortcases.org.