Foster Carolinas

Welcome back to our final installment of our series on Adoption Awareness Month. Susanna and Gaile are back to talk about their own personal adoptions and what that has meant for their family. Adoption is hard, beautiful, and complex. Today, listen to these two mamas talk about shared parenting and what that relationship might look like when TPR and adoption take place. As well as what they do not...

We love it when Susanna is able to sit down and chat with her "soul-sister," Gaile Osborne from Foster Family Alliance of NC. Their chats never really stay as chats, they always result in action plans.  Today, tune into their action plan and advice for post-adoptive services. Gaile is a wealth of knowledge for resources and she is so good at getting people connected to these resources. If you...

November is Adoption Awareness Month! This is huge for us and we want to make sure we celebrate how awesome adoption is, while also acknowledging the inevitable hardships of adoption. There is loss involved even if we know this is exactly what needs to happen. We have Shonda back to talk all things CHRISTMAS!!! Christmas needs have been great each year, and with our wonderful sponsors, volunteers,...

November is Adoption Awareness Month! This is huge for us and we want to make sure we celebrate how awesome adoption is, while also acknowledging the inevitable hardships of adoption. There is loss involved even if we know this exactly what needs to happen. Listen in today to one of our very favorite foster/adoptive mamas, Ms. Shonda! Shonda is a rockstar and talks about shared parenting and she g...

We wrap up our time with Kristen this week. Hasn't she been a PLEASURE to hear from? We love learning from Kristen's wise, kind, and insightful words. Her heart for the Lord is evident and flows out to others and is SO encouraging. In today's episode, see where Kristen is and what she is doing. This story might be one with some heartbreak and setbacks, but Kristen is showing up and saying "yes" to...

Tune back in to hear Kristen speak more wisdom, encouragement, and insight to the foster care world we are in today. The words she has to say are a MUST HEAR! We are getting a lot of things wrong in the system of foster care, but there is hope and there is encouragement.  Through Kristen's story, we see that a huge desire of the kids we serve in care's heart is to be "normal." They long to ha...

Meet Kristen, an acquaintance who quickly turned to a friend here at LOTC! Kristen is a fierce foster care advocate, fun foster mom, and free spirit. We absolutely adore her!  Listen in to the first installment of her series on the podcast. On today's episode, Kristen shares the beginning of her story in foster care. She sheds SO much light on trauma, how trauma plays out in behaviors for cer...

Here is the second installment of Gaile's conversation with Susanna. They talk about becoming a foster parent and how they step in to support new foster parents. It is not for the faint of heart, but there is support out there and that is what these two have dedicated their lives to. Visit Gaile's nonprofit's site at www.ffa-nc.org OR visit their Facebook page: Foster Family Alliance of North Caro...

While recording, I thought the recording studio might implode because two POWERHOUSES in the foster care nonprofit world were talking real world issues that they have personally walked through. They are making a difference in this world by not taking no for an answer and showing up each day to make the world of foster care better. Join Executive Director of Least of These Carolinas, Inc., Susanna...

You are in for a TREAT today! BRANDON HEATH is on the podcast with, Executive Director, Susanna Kavanaugh! They talk about a variety of things all the way from Brandon meeting Bono to the best places for coffee in and around Nashville. It is such a fun episode. Brandon is such a genuine guy and we were grateful he chose to be on the podcast today and is going to be a singer at BE THE DIFFERENCE at...

Thank you for tuning in again to hear Davon finish out his story. Hear how he has found a family who he is close with and how they met. Before he got to them, his life, as he puts it, "was like a movie." There is more behind the scenes talk of him and his twin brother Tavon walking each state's capital. They will make history upon the completion of that, and the heart behind it is to RAISE AWARENE...

This week, Susanna sits down with Davon Woods. Davon and his twin brother Tavon have been walking around America to raise awareness for children in foster care using the hashtag #fosterkidsmatter. This week he will tell you where they started and the journey they have been on to get them to where they are now. They had their conversation in a makeshift studio at Bridge Camp because Davon came and...

WE MADE IT TO BRIDGE CAMP, EVERYONE! Today, listen within the boundary lines of Bridge Camp 2022! You will hear the low down from two (new) counselors, two veteran head counselors who lead fearlessly while at Camp, and a precious camper who has been adopted. This has been the best week and you get to hear how lives, perspectives, and future plans are being changed by being here this week. ALSO......

Have you heard our BIG announcement?! We've opened the Hummingbird House where social workers are able to comfortably stay with children who have recently come into care or are between placements instead of in DSS offices, hotels, or, in an extreme case, the jail. The Hummingbird House is a soft place for these children and social workers to land after the whirlwind that got them there. Today Susa...

This week, return to hear about the sad side and the incredibly happy side of being a GAL from our good friend, Kecia. Susanna and Kecia talk about how LOTC has been a huge help to some of the kids she has served and how needed more GAL volunteers and foster parents are. Listen in and hear the heart behind this GAL and many others. Here is the link to sign up as a GAL through Gaston Co. NC - volun...

We're glad you are listening today! Please enjoy, current GAL, Kecia sitting down to explain to our Director, Susanna, what a GAL is and what all they do in the court system and beyond for the children they get to serve. Kecia is a hero around here, and we hope you see another side to how you can get involved in the world of foster care through her voice today. Make sure you are following us on so...

We are excited for you to hear the fourth and final installment of Morgan's recorded story! Today you get to hear a challenge to get involved in some way with foster care. This is an issue that affects people's entire lives, and you can do your part to help. Morgan encourages listeners by reminding them that the good, loving foster homes do make a huge impact on the children who venture through th...

Listen in to the third episode of where Morgan in unpacking her story of foster care. This week we see Morgan find her voice and her forever family! It is a sweet time as Morgan also looks ahead at where she is going next in life, and what her ultimate career goal is. She has a support system now and she and Susanna talk about what a huge difference that makes when facing big life changes. We have...

This is the second installment of Morgan's story. She is back with her incredible ability to tell her story. She conveys her and her sibling's experiences with grace and courage. Susanna and Morgan trek through the raw experiences that led Morgan to find her voice and use it to speak up about what she was enduring. This is a look into what those around you may be going through.  Simply listen...

Through the brave stories we get to share, some people are able to heal from their own stories and others are able to become more informed and aware of what children around them may be going through. Morgan steps up to the plate today to offer her story for both purposes. Journey with us over the next 4 weeks to hear her tell her story with confidence, bravery, and grace. We LOVE you Morgan, and w...

Today is an EXCITING podcast day! MAC POWELL is on the podcast today with Susanna, Executive Director of LOTC! They chat about where Mac got his start in music, how adoption has impacted his family, and he answers some listener questions. You are in for a treat! This episode is both informative and real... we might even drop a secret code for a discount on tickets to our Be The Difference concert...

We're glad you're here today!! Selina Johnson is the Programs Director at Least of These Carolinas, Inc. and she is on the podcast today. She talks with Abbey about her family's experience as foster parents, how persistence is key in making a difference, and the importance of showing up for foster families you know. This is an informative episode soaked with compassion and wisdom. You will leave t...

Thank you for tuning in today! Susanna Kavanaugh the Executive Director and Co-Founder of Least of These Carolinas, Inc. is being interviewed on her own podcast today by Abbey Roberson, her assistant. This is a fun and insightful episode to see the heart behind Least of These Carolinas, Inc. As they dive into Susanna's own experience as a foster parent, you will be able to see where the roots of L...

Thank you for joining us for Foster Care Awareness Month!! We hope SO much that this series has impacted you in a way that challenges you to move toward more understanding of children in foster care and their experiences. Everyone CAN do SOMETHING, and we want to help you identify what your something is. This final episode from Mikaila is extra long as we finish hearing about her time in care. Her...

May is Foster Care Awareness Month, and Mikaila is sharing more of her story on today's episode. It has been so good to hear her story and learn more from her! Today, listen to how being "leveled" affects every part of your placement in care. Mikaila was taken to a facility where she had no freedoms and no visitors... except for a therapist who has made such an impact on her life. Listen in today...