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Jayne Amelia talks with Nia Garcia. The smart and lovely Nia Garcia is a former foster youth who was abused by her drug addicted mother and stepfather who then threw out of her family home when she was only 13… she ended up living in shelters after several foster homes, then on the streets.  She self-harmed for many years and then got addicted to meth to try to numb her pain, but with a lot of hard work and determination she’s now recovered and has made herself a new and happy life. She’s learned how to protect herself and really take care of herself, and now she takes care of her brothers too.

iFoster: Helping Kids In Foster Care Reach Their Full Potential
Child Protective Services
Child Welfare Information Gateway to report abuse

Nia Garcia: Is today the day? And if not today-when? "It's my experience that people are a lot more sympathetic if they can see you hurting, and for the millionth time in life I wish for measles or smallpox or some other easily understood disease just to make it easier on me and also on them. Sometimes there’s beauty in the tough words- it's all how you read them. We are all alone, trapped in these bodies and our own minds, and whatever company we have in this life is only fleeting and superficial. I know myself well enough to know that no one else can keep you awake or keep you from sleeping. I do my best thinking at night when everyone else is sleeping. No interruptions. No noise. I like the feeling of being awake when no one else is. Stars in the sky, stars on the ground. It's hard to tell where the sky ends and the earth begins. I feel the need to say something grand and poetic, but the only thing I come up with is “it's lovely.” Sorry is a waste time. You have to live your life like you’ll never be sorry. It’s easier just to do the right thing from the start so there’s nothing to apologize for. You deserve better. I can’t promise you I’ll stay around, not because I don’t want to. It’s hard to explain. I’m a fuckup. I’m broken, no one can fix it. I’ve tried. I’m still trying. I can’t love anyone because it’s not fair to anyone who loves me back. I’ll never hurt you, not like I want to hurt her. But I can’t promise you I won’t pick you apart, piece by piece, until you’re in a thousand pieces, just like me. You should know what you’re getting into before getting involved. Listen, I’m a freak. I’m a weirdo. I’m the troublemaker. I start fights. I let people down. Don’t make Nia mad, whatever you do. Oh, there she goes again, in one of her moods. Moody Nia. Angry Nia. Unpredictable Nia. Crazy Nia. But I’m not a complication of symptoms. Not a casualty of shitty parents and an even shittier chemical makeup. Not a problem. Not a diagnosis. Not an illness. Not something to be rescued. I’m a person. But I bring it up to let you know that this is the way I feel right now. Like Pluto and Jupiter are aligned with the earth and I’m floating. The future is uncertain, but that can be a good thing. I have this feeling, like I’m waiting for something. But I have no idea what. The thing is, there are good days and bad days. I feel most guilty saying they aren’t all bad. It’s okay to laugh, you know. The earth’s not going to split open. You’re not going to hell. Believe me. If there is a hell, I’ll be there ahead of you, and they’ll be too busy with me to even check you in." 

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Jayne Amelia speaks with CASA Debbie Dullabaun who has been of service to her community for close to 30 years.

In 1998 after the death of her six year old son, Dale Lee Dullabaun III, Debbie began to work in his memory with several non-profit organizations. Along with volunteering for many years with the American Red Cross and the San Fernando Valley Domestic Abuse Response Team (DART), in 2020 Debbie became a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteer representing the needs of youth in the Los Angeles child welfare system. Debbie has also been active in the Compassionate Friends grief support organization, serving as the founding chair  of its Diversity Commission, and as a member and president of TCF's Board of Directors. She is also a volunteer grief counselor with Our House, which provides grief support services in the Los Angeles area.

Domestic Abuse Response Team (DART)
Compassionate Friends
Our House

"No matter how big and powerful government gets, and the many services it provides, it can never take the place of volunteers." - Ronald Reagan

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See bonusbabies.org to learn more about what we are doing and please donate to support us by making a 100% tax-deductible contribution. EVERY PENNY OF YOUR CONTRIBUTION GOES TO RECORDING AND PLATFORMING THESE STORIES.  Yeah!

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Jayne Amelia speaks with powerhouse foster care alumnus, performance artist, and founder of  Reel to Reel Global Youth Film Festival, Johna Rivers.

Johna Rivers is a 28 year old trailblazer. They are a foster care alumnus from WATTS who was abused, starved, neglected as a child and teenager but turned trauma into triumph. They are the co-founder for Real To Reel Global Youth Film Festival, a platform for young film makers to highlight issues plaguing their local or global communities. They're also an amazing performing artist performing live all over the place, and a CASA of Los Angeles board member.

BetterYouth
Reel To Reel Global Youth Film Festival
A Sense of Home
CASA of Los Angeles

IG: JohnaRivers 

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Jayne Amelia speaks with Dennis Rosenbaum  who was a school psychologist for 38 years and then became a CASA.

"I was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio. I grew up in a middle-class Jewish household where the importance of education was emphasized. Yet, as a young person who came of age in the 50’s and 60’s, the racial disparity in opportunity available to some people and not others became uncomfortably apparent to me. The inclination for me to do something constructive to change that reality was fostered by the inspirational civil rights and political leaders of the time. My pursuit of higher education has taken me to Nashville, Tennessee; Oxford, Ohio; and to my home of the last 46 years—Los Angeles, California. I feel privileged as a CASA to be able to extend whatever knowledge and skills I possess on behalf of young people who have been neglected, abandoned and marginalized. The wonderful opportunities afforded me as an educator, primarily as a school psychologist, in a large urban school district has prepared me for the challenges in my current work. When I’m not engaged in volunteer work, I can be found enjoying the company of good friends and family or just shooting baskets at the local gym or neighborhood park."

JFK's Day of Affirmation speech in Cape Town: "It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped each time a man stands up for an ideal or acts to improve the lot of others or strikes out against injustice. He sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest wall of oppression and resistance."

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Jayne Amelia speaks with former foster youth and LGBTQIA+ advocate Rob Rodriguez.

Rob Rodriguez is a proud gay, nonbinary, Latino, born and raised in New York City.  Currently residing in Los Angeles, they are now making social impact in the LGBTQIA+ community one movement at a time. They are a survivor of abuse and an inspiring success story of what it takes to survive the foster care system for seven years. They are the creative force behind and Director of Marketing & Social Responsibility of the  first LGBTQIA+ resource center in Burbank, CA as well as the first of its kind in the nationwide YMCA movement. They have been happily married for ten years to artist Blake Rodriguez and the proud parent of a rabbit named Chanel. They are currently working on their first book, Can’t Hit Rewind.

Burbank YMCA Social Impact Center

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Jayne Amelia speaks with the powerhouse Leslie Nolan who was trafficked at a young age after fleeing an abusive family; she eventually put her father in jail for his sexual abuse to prevent him from abusing others. 

"Leslie Nolan is the Design and Wellness Labs Associate Lab Leader at Karana Rising. She assists the Design and Wellness team in the execution of workshops, programs, and launches. She is a survivor of childhood, verbal, and emotional abuse, as well as sexual assault and a familial cult. She spent years of her early adulthood wandering aimlessly looking for a place of peace, and healing, and through God and his community she eventually found that. She spent years healing and growing a relationship with God, fellowship in the church, in therapy, with self-reflection and hard work. In recent years, she has pursued a Public Speaking career, and she has co-founded the Global Survivor Collaborative and partnered with various organizations to provide and participate in Human Trafficking awareness trainings and discussions. 

Leslie has managed various salons in Maryland, and is currently a partner at Crochet Braids and Weaves by Blessed and a H&R Manager/ Lead Stylist in the past of Essential Beauty Spa---the first natural hair salon to pioneer the natural hair movement servicing various local celebrities including OWN TV Star, Motivational Speaker & Author Iyanla Vanzant. She credits Jesus  her Lord & Savior for her success, believing that through him he guides her and helps her grow in the best possible way."

FAIR Girls
Free Tiffany Simpson
Global Center on Human Trafficking at Montclair State University 

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Jayne Amelia talks with Melanie Velasquez.

Melanie is a former foster youth from the San Fernando Valley who was abused by her own family at a very young age, and then as a young adult had the courage to put her father in prison. She’s a brave young lady with a terrible but ultimately triumphant story to tell. She's 24 years old now and living happily on her own.  She says:  “I love helping out others. My goal is to work with youth and help them become the person they want to become.  Another goal of mine is to go back to school and finish my degree in Child Development and also become an ASL interpreter so I can work in a field I love.”

Million kid.org
The Global Center on Human Trafficking
National Center for Missing & Exploited Children Hotline: 1.800.843.5678
National Hotline (Polaris)  1.888.373.7888 or Text "HELP" to 233733 (BEFREE):

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Jayne Amelia speaks with foster mom and adoptive mom Deena Murray.

Deena serves as a consultant to Million Kids for Development, Events and assisting with Operations. She is the Director and Producer of VIP Events for RCDL Enterprises and is a Certified Meeting Professional.  Deena has provided foster parent services for four Southern California counties and has been a foster parent to over 25 youth. She, and her husband, ended up adopting twelve of the children they fostered. 

Deena has conducted research and provided outreach to support families and victims who have been exploited through sex trafficking, sextortion, social media exploitation and child pornography. She is well versed in the grooming and exploitation process involved in luring in children and teens. Deena’s primary area of research is staying current with the latest apps, video games and hook up sites used by teens and how they communicate with others.

Millionkids.org

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Jayne Amelia talks with crypto kid Daron Bennett. In this episode we discuss his journey from generational poverty to inspiring others. Daron is a foster care alumnus who grew up on the hard rough and tumble streets of Los Angeles. Violence, abuse, and neglect were ever present in his young life but he was determined to break free from the devastating cycle of trauma. At age 11, he taught himself how to read by going to the library and copying down words in the dictionary over and over and over until he understood them, learned how they were used, and how they were pronounced. He got into boxing and kickboxing as a youth and eventually traveled to Thailand to train and fight in Asia professionally. In his travels to Asia he developed a passion to learn new cultures and began visiting countries that had two things: a fight culture and good food.

He was raised in South Central Los Angeles during the early 90's. He then moved from South Central to Downtown, MacArthur Park, and then Echo Park.  he and his brother were exposed to various forms of abuse such as prostitution, gun violence, beatings, and starvation. His mother was addicted to drugs and had to go through a program in order to get her children back.  Despite being only a small child, Daron was aware of the wrongness of his situation and acted as a protector for his younger brother.  He also tried to be strong for his mother during this difficult time. She eventually quit cold turkey when the authorities told her they were taking away her kids.

Daron is now trying to use his story to help other people in similar situations and to try and end generational poverty. They were exposed to various forms of abuse such as prostitution, gun violence, beatings, and starvation. Despite being only a child, the speaker was aware of the wrongness of his situation and acted as a protector for his younger brother. He also tried to be strong for his mother during this difficult time.
As a young man, he joined the Army, trained and worked on Signals System and became a Signals Specialist.

Daron’s incredible story is an inspiration to many and serves as a reminder to never give up. Daron has always had an entrepreneurial spirit and has a background in building frameworks and systems for venture backed startups. He was previously a Growth Engineer and Strategist at Postmates, MusclePharm, and TMT. He entered the crypto space in 2015, and his passion for block chain technology and building eco systems led him to advocate its utilization for teaching financial literacy, and he is now dedicated to ending generational poverty. He is a mentor at Expert Dojo and Backstage Capital, and the CEO and  Co-Founder of fantomGO*.

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