Fostering Change

If you’ve watched or listened to Fostering Change before, or you’ve seen Rob Scheer speak at an event or a Comfort Cases “Packing Party”, you know that he loves to promote people who are doing great things for others - what he calls “Good Humans.” Well, on today’s episode you’ll meet one of the “goodest of them all,” Marcy Bursac. Scaling her lived experience as an adoptive mom of a sibling pair,...

Prepare yourself for an interview with a woman who defines the term “resilience.”  Regina Calcaterra’s memoir Etched in Sand, A True Story of Five Siblings Who Survived an Unspeakable Childhood on Long Island is a #1 international best-seller and a New York Times best-seller.  As a result of Etched in Sand’s messages of resilience, optimism, the plight of foster children, that no child i...

“Understand there is more of a reality out there than you’ve been living through.” Today’s episode of Fostering Change will truly inspire you!  Rob Scheer interviews Lisa Cohen, someone he shares much in common.  They were both in foster care, both from Washington, DC and following foster care, both joined the Navy.  They also both have “bucked the trend” and have been successful in...

Corporate Responsibility. You hear that phrase often. But how many businesses truly follow through on being good corporate citizens? On today’s episode of Fostering Change you will meet one organization that does just that: Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield’s Indiana Medicaid Health Plan. In fact, this organization was Comfort Cases’ very first corporate sponsor - we are celebrating working with t...

We hope you are ready for an especially inspiring episode of Fostering Change . Today, Rob Scheer interviews Peter Mutabazi: entrepreneur, international advocate for children, and the founder of Now I Am Known , a nonprofit that supplies resources that encourage and affirm children and families. A single adoptive father of three and foster dad to many (34 as of this date!), Mutabazi is a former st...

In a discussion that covers everything from medicare filings to the resources necessary for caregivers of all kind to thrive, today Rob Scheer speaks with Mike and Kristin Berry, the co-founders of The Resilient Caregiver, a global initiative that helps foster and adoptive caregivers build resiliency through understanding, education, and support. There are so many hoops one must jump through when...

Today, Rob Scheer talks with a real “go-getter”. Someone who doesn’t take no for an answer and truly reaches for the stars. Haley Marguerite is a motivational speaker, a publisher and an author. In fact, she published her first book at the age of 11! Haley is the talented author behind the beloved Charlie Takes an Adventure book series. Through her captivating stories, children learn importan...

Comfort Cases is thrilled to be working with the team from Amerigroup Georgia Families 360 on a powerful new initiative. Launched at the start of National Adoption Awareness Month, Comfort Cases and Amerigroup Georgia Families 360 are committing to get a Comfort Case(™) to every youth in foster care in the state of Georgia, finally ending the practice of black trash bags being given to youth who a...

You may know the name Zion Clark, whose catchphrase is: “You Don't Need Legs To Leave A Footprint On Earth” Did you watch his documentary on Netflix? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRvGlB1-Ku8 Maybe you saw him on America’s Got Talent? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRA3t_9hX50 Or, you read his book, “Work With What You Got: A Memoir”, https://www.amazon.com/Work-What-You-Got-Memoir/dp/153622421...

Social justice advocate Di Ciruolo is on a mission to shed light on these systematic injustices in the foster care system and provides a step-by-step approach to personal recovery and guidance for survivors and those who seek to support them in her new book, “Indomitable” ,  a true story of how she survived foster care. In today’s episode of Fostering Change, Rob Scheer and Di Ciruolo work to...

Today on Fostering Change , Rob Scheer speaks with Monica Pantoja, the dynamic Executive Director of the nsoro Educational Foundation. Founded in 2005, The nsoro Educational Foundation believes not one young person aging out of our nation's foster care system should have to navigate the world alone. Our mission provides the access to and attainment of post-secondary education through a holistic sc...

In today’s episode of Fostering Change, Rob Scheer speaks with a true “angel”: Susan Ramirez, the founder of National Angels, a non-profit organization whose mission is “to walk alongside children, youth, and families in the foster care community by offering consistent support through intentional giving, relationship building, and mentorship.” Now in 21 cities in 16 states, National Angels goal is...

This true story will inspire you like none you may have ever heard. Rob Scheer interviews Katrina Mullen. You may have seen Katrina on The Today Show, or in People Magazine. This unassuming NICU (NeoNatal Intensive Care Unit) Nurse has received universal praise for how she stepped up where others would not. As a neonatal nurse in a small Indiana hospital, she saw Shariya, a young mother...

On today’s episode of Fostering Change, Rob speaks with Laura Foster Parent Partner, whose mission is to educate and support people about the foster care system. Often, new foster parents are not prepared for everything they need to know before their first children come to them. Laura discusses how the “cracks of child welfare are deep”, from misplaced birth certificates to wrong names of the chil...

On today’s episode of Fostering Change , Rob interviews Dr. Kristin Hoffman, Ph. D., Chief Program Officer and Child Psychologist and Chelsea Henandez, LCSW, Clinical Director of the All Star Children’s Foundation. The All Star Children’s Foundation, based in Sarasota, Florida uses a trauma-focused approach  through innovation, science and compassion.  They have an onsite campus, home to...

Welcome to Season 5 of Fostering Change! For those of you who are new to us: “Welcome!” And for our returning friends, “Welcome Back!” Fostering Change is hosted by Rob Scheer, the founder of Comfort Cases, a non-profit organization whose mission is to promote hope and dignity to youth in foster care. We will post new episodes of Fostering Change every Tuesday on all of your favorite podcast chann...

Thank you for joining us for our final “Best of Season 4” episode of Fostering Change . From all of us at Comfort Cases, we hope you had a wonderful summer and enjoyed revisiting some of our favorite episodes from this past season. Next week, September 5, we will post the first episode for our new season.  Can you believe that we’re entering Season 5 ????  Neither can we!  We want t...

In this week's episode of Fostering Change,  we revisit Rob’s conversation with Gideon Bernstein, Chartered Financial Analyst and Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy and the author of The Workbook for Giving: Exercises for identifying the resources, giving goals, and giving strategies for you and your family. Gideon Bernstein has served as a trusted financial advisor to families in Orange Count...

April Dinwoodie is an Adoption Activist, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Consultant, and Parent Coach.  Dinwoodie’s podcast Born in June, Raised in April: What Adoption Can Teach the World helps facilitate an open dialogue about identity, family, and differences of race, culture, and class.  As a transracially adopted person (Black/bi-racial, adopted into a white family), Apr...

Originally airing in May during National Foster Care Awareness Month, on  today’s “Best of” episode of Fostering Change Rob interviews Stacy Huston, Executive Director of Sixdegrees.org , the award-winning nonprofit founded by Kevin Bacon with a mission rooted in connecting people to resources. Six Degrees supports impactful initiatives to sustain and enrich local communities by developing pa...

Today we revisit Angela Featherstone - model, actress, philanthropist: Founder of the organization Fosteringcare.org , a nonprofit trauma-healing and trade school for youth aging out of foster care in Los Angeles. The school is contributing to halting the negative outcomes that so many youth who age out of foster care experience, including homelessness, incarceration, and human trafficking. Moreov...

Today, in the midst of one of the hottest summer’s on record, we revisit our interview with Sharlee Jeter, President of the Turn 2 Foundation , a non-profit established by her brother, baseball legend Derek Jeter, and their father, Dr. Charles Jeter, to motivate young people to turn away from drugs and alcohol and "Turn 2" healthy lifestyles.  They provide help for youth to reach their full p...

Today, as we continue our “Best of Season 4” series, we revisit our interview with Rob’s friend, David Ambroz, author of “A Place Called Home.”  David is a national poverty and child welfare expert and advocate. He was recognized by President Obama as an American Champion of Change . In writing about the book, Hillary Clinton stated: “It’s impossible to read… and not want to redouble your eff...

As we continue our “Best of Season 4 Series” this Summer, we go back to a true favorite: Rob Scheer talks with Lauren Ruotolo, author of “Unstoppable in Stilettos”, inspirational speaker and award winning content producer.  Be this the first time you’ve heard this interview, or an encore, we know you’ll love Lauren as much as we do. At 18 months Lauren was diagnosed with a rare disease called...

For our first “Best of” episode in July, we are revisiting our interview with Kenisha Anthony, a first-generation college graduate, award-winning advocate for youth, and author. Known for being resilient and bold, Kenisha Anthony is an outspoken activist utilizing her experiences to empower others. As a foster care visionary, she starred in the documentary, Foster Shock and has been featured on NP...