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Jayne Amelia speaks with former foster youth, advocate and attorney Glenda Wright. Glenda recently graduated from the Salmon P. Chase College of Law, where she received her Juris Doctorate in May 2022. Glenda has also earned her Bachelor of Science in Business with a minor in legal studies from Murray State University. While attending law school, Glenda participated in several extracurricular activities, including serving as senior editor of the Northern Kentucky Law Review and president of the Phi Alpha Delta: Hoffman Chapter. In August 2020, Glenda and her business partner, Tyler Hunter, launched Wright & Hunter Consulting, a firm focused on working with and strengthening all partners in the child welfare continuum. Glenda's passion for child welfare reform comes from her experiences living in the Kentucky foster care system. That passion has led to numerous policy and legislative changes, including two critical pieces of legislation that helped change the way foster care works for youth in Kentucky. For the past 10 years, Glenda has dedicated herself to improving the child welfare system so that other youth and families like hers don't have to experience what she and so many others do. In her "free time," Glenda loves giving back to her community in various ways and being surrounded by those who love her! 

TAY AmeriCorps Member
iFoster
Wright and Hunter Consulting

LinkedIn: glenda-wright-j-d-7781b4141/

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Jayne Amelia speaks with therapist Dr. Bruce Sogolow.  Dr. Bruce has been a psychotherapist for nearly 40 years. He relates that “There was a kind of inevitability that led to my practice of specializing in ‘walking along side’ of families with children who suffered from attachment challenges.” 

His most valuable teachers along the way were children and parents whose trust in others was deeply wounded in their early lives: through a deep dive into non-violent communication, he discovered that their trust could be relationally developed through compassion, empathy, and curiosity. 

For over ten years in Sarasota, Florida, Dr. Bruce served as executive director of RADical Healing, Inc.—“Healing Families, Training Professionals.” He is a specialist in treating families with foster/adoptive children with Reactive Attachment Disorder and is also a licensed Supervisor training new therapists—developing and offering workshops and CEU courses sorely needed in the therapeutic community.  

Dr. Bruce lives with his wife, Katherine—a writer and playwright—in California. He is available for consultations and  facilitates workshops for families and therapists.

What Happened to You?: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing by Dr. Bruce Perry and Oprah Winfrey
How To Know A Person: The Art Of Seeing Others Deeply And Being Deeply Seen by David Brooks
The Anatomy Of Peace  by Emery Reves
Buck (film) by Cindi Meehl

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Jayne Amelia speaks with her friend and (very loving and proud) adoptive parent, Warren Press. Warren lives in Los Angeles with his wife Elizabeth Mestnik and their 14-year-old son and 18-year-old daughter. Their journey to parenthood was a tad unconventional and each child took longer to reach their home than the typical gestation period.  Warren and Elizabeth traveled to China to adopt their daughter while their 14-year-old son was born and adopted a little closer to home in Los Angeles.

Their family encompasses several ethnicities and cultures, all of which are enthusiastically celebrated. When not acting as an Uber driver for his children, Warren is helping corporate groups boost their morale as the Sales and Marketing VP for Feet First Events, a national team building events company.

AdoptUsKids.org
CCAI adoption services
CCAI parent training
Joyous Chinese Cultural Center
The Park Adoption Community Center
L.A.M.P.  Mentor Program
FEET FIRST Event Entertainment
Elizabeth Mestnik Acting Studio

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Jayne Amelia speaks with guardian ad litem and child advocate/attorney, Rachel Aliza Elovitz. Rachel  has worked as a family law attorney for more than 27 years.  In that capacity, she has represented fathers seeking to legitimate children (who were born out of wedlock), grandparents seeking visitation rights with grandchildren, third party relatives seeking custody of children who are being abused or neglected by their parents, parents hoping to protect their children from another parent's abuse - and parents who have been falsely accused of abuse in an effort to alienate them from the children who love them. 

Rachel also serves as a guardian ad litem and child advocate, roles she initially took on in 2001 and 2007, respectively.  As a GAL, her role is to be the eyes and ears of the Court and to make recommendations about what is in the child's best interest (in both custody and dependency cases).  As a child advocate, she represents children in abuse and neglect cases (children in the child welfare system). 

Rachel is also a trained mediator, arbitrator, and collaborative lawyer.  Over the course of her career, Rachel has mediated domestic relations cases (family law), domestic violence cases, dependency cases, and legal guardianship cases.  Rachel was a founding partner of Elovitz and O'Nan, LLC, and Elovitz, Edwards, O'Nan, & Buerlein, LLC, firms focused on family law in Atlanta, Georgia.  During the Covid Pandemic, Rachel decided to return to solo practice.   

Rachel is at her heart an educator.  Prior to practicing law, she taught children part time at various Jewish schools - one in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and four in Georgia.  

Now 57, Rachel is still practicing law, but she enjoys spending time writing in the hope of sharing her knowledge and insights with others.  Her articles have been published in Family Lawyer Magazine, The Georgia Bar Journal, Jewish Women of Words, Divorce Magazine, The Atlanta Jewish Times, and The Jerusalem Post.

Rachel is also active in her community, serving on the Boards of the Atlanta Israel Coalition, the Atlanta Jewish Community Relations Counsel, and is part of Ahavath Achim Synagogue's chevra kadisha (“holy society”), a group of Jewish women who help care for and prepare the bodies of those who have died for burial. 

Rachel is active on social media, mostly Twitter, as "AmIsraelChai_", which is Hebrew for "Israel lives." She appreciates that her voice - by itself - has limited power, but she is part of a collective of people who are committed to doing whatever they can to dispel the lies that permeate the Web, to bust the myths to which people injudiciously cling, to call out those who engage in disinformation and propaganda, to report those who incite hate and violence, and to amplify voices of truth.  

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Jayne Amelia speaks with the powerhouse founder of Kids in The Spotlight, Tige Charity.  In Tige's words:  As a visionary with a strong faith & a passion for serving others, I have devoted my career to empowering young people in foster care to address and overcome trauma through the power of storytelling. In 2009, I founded Kids in the Spotlight, Inc. (KITS), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that provides year-round 10-week script-to-screen workshops to train youth in foster care to write, cast, & star in their own short films telling their stories their way. We provide an outlet & platform for these young people to be seen, heard, validated, celebrated, & employed.

I have a degree in Accounting from Oral Roberts University & an MBA in Nonprofit Management from American Jewish University. In addition, I have been a fellow in the prestigious City Scholars Fellowship Foundation's CEO Leadership Program since 2017 & a new member of the Women Presidents Organization. My board officers & I have also completed the Annenberg Alchemy for Black-led Organizations, the flagship Annenberg Alchemy, & the Alchemy+ nonprofit capacity building & leadership development programs.

Throughout my career, I have received recognition for my contributions to the community, including the Community Service Award from the Black Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles & the Ubuntu Award from The Africa Channel, inspired by the legacy of Nelson Mandela. I have also been honored alongside Kareem Abdul-Jabbar by then Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael Antonovich for our community service at the county's annual "All For The Love Of Kids" event. In addition, my work has been recognized by Supervisor Holly Mitchell, Mayor Eric Garcetti, & various government officials. I have also received several awards, including the David Lieber Leadership Award, the L.O.V.E Award, the Whispers from Children's Hearts Foundation Legacy Award, & the Vessels of Honor CODE of Honor Award.

KITS has been featured in prominent media outlets such as "The Kelly Clarkson Show," "NBC4 Live", "The Jim Jefferies Show," CBS "Entertainment Tonight" & "The Insider," KTLA Morning News, Telemundo, & Wireimage.com., L.A. Times, Hollywood Reporter, Golden Globes, Vibe Magazine, L.A. Sentinel, Pasadena Weekly, Celebrity Society Magazine, & others.

My mission is to offer hope, healing, and a sense of accomplishment to youth in foster care throughout the country. I am passionate about motivating, educating, and leading a team of change agents who understand the power of teamwork, community, and giving back. I share my insights and experiences in my book, "Not Your 9-to-5 Girl," available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Kids In The Spotlight
I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
Maya Angelou

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Jayne Amelia speaks with Romi Lassally and Patrick McCabe,  co-founders of Ready To Succeed which has supported college bound students impacted by foster care or “scholars” (as they call them which is fantastic!) by helping them get into school, stay in school, and flourish after school with resources, relationships with passionate professionals, career coaching, and more.

From the Ready To Succeed website:
“In January 2016, two non-profit veterans, Romi Lassally and Patrick McCabe, saw the opportunity to transform outcomes with targeted support—to take the foster youth that were motivated, ambitious, and tenacious enough to make it to college and ensure they had the resources, relationships, and opportunities they needed to succeed there and in all facets of life. Romi and Pat believed that if every college student impacted by foster care had the kind of support they needed, when they needed it, they could be successful and have a shot at pursuing a future brighter than their past. Initially leveraging their own personal and professional networks, they began to close the opportunity and network gap their students faced.

Encouraging others to start opening their own networks as well, the RTS network began to grow exponentially, creating a deep bench of caring and connected professionals across all industries and at every level of the career ladder.

In January 2022, RTS expanded to include low-income first generation college students. Along with students impacted by foster care, these first-gen Scholars have unique access to a diverse group of thought leaders, innovators and passionate professionals who offer advice, opportunities and a community of support.”

Ready To Succeed

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Jayne Amelia speaks with artist and animator, and former foster youth Chrisie Morris.  Chrisie  is a junior at Cal State University Long Beach pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Art in Illustration for Pre-Production. She’s currently working as a Visual Development Artist at Mr. Clown’s Productions through the prestigious Television Academy Foundation Fall 2023 Internship Program. Additionally, Chrisie has completed two internships at DreamWorks Animation this year working as a Production Assistant on Gabby’s Dollhouse, Kung Fu Panda: Dragon Knight, and Curses. Chrisie is an active scholar in the foster-youth professional development program, Ready To Succeed, and also volunteers her time as an alumnus with Better Youth, a foster-youth media art training and mentorship program. Experienced in leading teams, managing collaborative projects, and producing creative ideas, Chrisie’s goal is to direct her own animated feature film one day. She hopes to continue creating art, working within the Entertainment Industry, and giving back to her community.

IG@ chrisie.creation

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisie-morris/

Mr. Clown Productions: http://mrclown.tv
KTLA morning news with Chrisie and Ready To Succeed

Ready To Succeed
Better Youth

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Jayne Amelia speaks with single foster dad and entertainment producer Gavin Glynn.  Gavin and his then partner fostered to adopt a young boy, then Gavin went on to foster a  foursome sibling set when he was a single dad. In order to keep all the kids in the house, Gavin gave up his lucrative but very demanding career as a producer in the entertainment business and became an educator. He says raising his family, in spite of the many challenges,  is the most rewarding thing he has ever done and would do it all again.

Potluck Club "an all-volunteer nonprofit, was launched and incorporated in West Hollywood. It began in 1998 with a group of gay men who wanted to be parents... though none of them were yet. Today the group includes about 300 families who altogether have about 500 kids."
Extraordinary Families works with many LGBTQ+ parents and kiddos in helping to find safe and nurturing families for all children in foster care.

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Jayne Amelia speaks with  foster alum Elizabeth Garcia Herrera. Liz and her sisters (America's story is Episode 16 of Season 3) were placed in foster care when their mother could no longer look after them. Liz was 17 and spent several confusing years struggling to get on her feet but she put herself through college and now works as a supervisor in child welfare.  She's married with two small children and her mom helps to care for them. 

Elizabeth is a Program Supervisor for the Healthy Families America Home Visitation program at SHIELDS for Families. Before being promoted to a Supervisor, Elizabeth was a Family Support Specialist (Home Visitor) with the Healthy Families America program for seven years. In her role as a Family Support Specialist, Elizabeth promoted healthy and secure attachments between parents and babies, delivering in-home services to families with children from in utero to five years of age. Elizabeth attained her Certified Lactation Educator (CLE) certification in 2021, and remains passionate about promoting a secure bond and attachment and healthy babies by promoting and educating families on breastfeeding. She is planning to pursue the International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) certification. Elizabeth currently works with families in supporting a team of Family Support Specialists in a Program which its mission is to help prevent child abuse by educating and helping families in attaining the needed protective factors that prevent the involvement of Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) and support families with these cases as well. 

Elizabeth graduated with a Bachelors in Social Work at California State Long Beach in 2014, and is married and a mother of two boys ages one and six years old (and continues to breastfeed her youngest). Elizabeth is also a passionate Christian and is involved in her church as a Greeter, Leader and student Coach. Elizabeth hosts weekly Women's Bible Study Groups and supports and encourages women to grow in their faith and receive healing and freedom following her church's vision to "bring God's freedom to this generation."

Families Uniting Families
Shields For Families

Please call 988 or text 741741 for help if you're in crisis. 

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Jayne Amelia speaks with foster care alum America Gutierrez.  America  is a passionate advocate for mental health, firmly guided by the belief that our voices are our most potent tools. With unwavering determination, she fearlessly shares her personal journey, notably her harrowing experiences within the foster care system. Through her advocacy efforts, she aims to illuminate critical conversations surrounding the welfare of youth who, like her, have faced profound challenges.

Born to Mexican immigrant parents, America inherited a spirit of resilience from her mother, who instilled in her the unwavering strength to overcome any setback that life might throw her way. Actively engaged with organizations, she provides her lived experiences to contribute to discussions on topics such as homelessness, foster care, and mental health.

Currently pursuing a bachelor's degree in psychology, America aspires to offer deeper insights into the long-lasting effects of childhood trauma, with a primary goal of reforming the foster care system. She is a dreamer who relentlessly strives to achieve her goals, even when they appear insurmountable. Her hope is to serve as an inspiration to those who have been silenced, showing them that their voices can be a catalyst for change.

California Youth Connection
iFoster

Please call 988 or text 741741 for help if you're in crisis. 

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