Fostering Community

Houston Angels

We believe in the power of community. We believe in relationships and connection. We believe in working together to create change. Fostering Community with Houston Angels is a community-wide effort to spread awareness about the challenges and triumphs within our local foster care system. We're bringing together industry experts, foster families and former foster youth, active volunteers, and leaders from similar organizations, to share each of their perspectives through short interviews. Let's work together to spread the word and foster MORE community for foster care. www.houangels.org

Episodes

  1. 22/05/2020

    07. Justin Sepulveda, Clutch City Connect

    DONATE TO HOUSTON ANGELS IN HONOR OF NATIONAL FOSTER CARE MONTH Never in his life did Justin Sepulveda imagine that he would be running a nonprofit organization. Clutch City Connect launched this time last year, and just a few months ago officially became a 501c3 organization. But a little over 10 years ago, Justin had just gotten out of the Harris County Jail. His relationships were struggling, he had a little over $1 in his pocket, and he was hungry and homeless.That moment of service stayed with him over the next decade years as he worked to get back on his feet, and dealt with the pain of losing his brother to suicide. In an effort to stay positive and in good spirits, he turned to something he knew always brought him joy - helping others. What started as a hobby to get him through rough times eventually transformed into a full-fledged nonprofit that has served countless homeless and underprivileged people throughout the city of Houston. We know all too well that the foster care system feeds into homelessness (in fact, half of the nation’s homeless have spent time in foster care), which is something that Justin also started to realize as he swapped stories with the people he was meeting. Listen to the full episode to hear more about how Justin started and grew Clutch City Connect, how they collaborate with other missions and organizations, and his plans to get closer to the root of the problem - supporting the needs of our city’s at-risk youth. Interview by: Melissa McGrath, President of Houston Angels Edited by: Hannah Gils | www.hannahgils.com

    21 min
  2. 15/05/2020

    05. Savannah, foster/adoptive parent

    DONATE TO HOUSTON ANGELS IN HONOR OF NATIONAL FOSTER CARE MONTH Savannah is a foster/adoptive mom of four beautiful children, who were all adopted through foster care. As young newlyweds, Savannah and her husband, Jacob, struggled with infertility, and the sadness and discouragement that came with it… but they didn’t feel like pursuing infertility treatments was the right path for them. At that time, they had both been volunteering at a Houston-based camp for kids who had been through trauma, a lot of whom had been in foster care. After getting to know these kids and listening to so many of their stories, Savannah and Jacob found it difficult to forget them, and felt God was drawing them towards foster care. After completing their classes and the long list of to-do’s that come with getting licensed, they were officially licensed to foster by Savannah’s 21st birthday. And within that same week, they already received their first placement, going from 0 to 3 children in a flash. They said goodbye to these children just five months later, and then quickly welcomed 4 more - including a newborn, an infant, and two toddlers (two children were siblings). Savannah’s plate was overflowing, as she juggled her husband’s challenging work schedule, 4 children under 4, new schedules, different sets of biological families to meet with, and different caseworkers and appointments for each child. After several years of fostering (and since this episode was recorded), all 4 children have been adopted into their forever home with Savannah and Jacob! Listen to Savannah share more of her journey, the beauty and pain that comes with parenting a child from hard places, and what anyone can do to support families like hers. Interview by: Melissa McGrath, President of Houston Angels Edited by: Hannah Gils | www.hannahgils.com

    23 min
  3. 08/05/2020

    04. Susan Ramirez, National Angels

    DONATE TO HOUSTON ANGELS IN HONOR OF NATIONAL FOSTER CARE MONTH 10 years ago, Susan was selling homes and working as a corporate trainer. Around this time, she sold a home to a woman who was a CPS worker, who invited her to a foster and adoption conference. Susan attended the conference and after hearing a judge tell a particularly impactful story of two boys who grew up in foster care, she leaves that conference feeling the weight of the world on her shoulders... she felt like God was telling her that creating change for foster care was now her burden to bear. So the next few years, she and her volunteer group would help to throw fun service events and provide extracurricular activities for children in foster care. But as great as they were, she realized they weren't life-changing. They needed to get to the root of the problem if they were going to truly prevent these kids from just ending up as another statistic. Susan spent the next 5-6 years building Austin Angels and piloting the Love Box Program, in which volunteers put together a "Love Box" of items tailored to a foster family's specific needs. But at the end of the day, it wasn't about the stuff - it was about the real, lasting bonds that were forming. It was about the lives being changed as a result of community, consistency, and intentionality. A few years later, Austin Angels' programs were successfully launched in Amarillo, TX. This eventually led to the creation of a national organization with chapters opening up in major cities like DFW, Cleveland, Seattle, and many more all across the country - including yours truly here in Houston. Listen to the full episode to hear Susan tell the judge's story that changed everything, more about her journey scaling the organization, and why she is so passionate about this mission. Interview by: Melissa McGrath, President of Houston Angels Edited by: Hannah Gils | www.hannahgils.com

    29 min

About

We believe in the power of community. We believe in relationships and connection. We believe in working together to create change. Fostering Community with Houston Angels is a community-wide effort to spread awareness about the challenges and triumphs within our local foster care system. We're bringing together industry experts, foster families and former foster youth, active volunteers, and leaders from similar organizations, to share each of their perspectives through short interviews. Let's work together to spread the word and foster MORE community for foster care. www.houangels.org