Fostering Community Houston Angels

DONATE TO HOUSTON ANGELS IN HONOR OF NATIONAL FOSTER CARE MONTH

Kristina Belcher is the Region 6A Service Program Administrator for the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services in Harris County. With a background in psychology, social work, and business, Kristina has worked for DFPS for more than two decades, moving between several different roles and seeing various perspectives of the foster care system.

There are approximately 4,600 kids in custody across all counties in Houston, the vast majority residing in Harris County. Listen to the full episode to hear Kristina explain various aspects of the state’s work with foster care, how families she works with have been affected by Covid-19, and how important it is for the city’s providers to work together with one another to ensure local families receive the right help throughout their journey.

Interview by: Melissa McGrath, President of Houston Angels

Edited by: Hannah Gils | www.hannahgils.com

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

DONATE TO HOUSTON ANGELS IN HONOR OF NATIONAL FOSTER CARE MONTH

Vanessa Agudelo is the owner of Houston Business Women, a local membership organization that connects women in business to networking, support and mentorship opportunities. Vanessa is not only a successful real estate agent, entrepreneur, and mother of two, but she is also a new friend and partner of Houston Angels.

Listen to the full episode to hear us chat candidly about all of the things - how Vanessa created and built Houston Business Women, more about how we first connected and this September’s event, each of our visions for scaling, the need for storytelling and spreading the word about foster care, and how she and her husband feel called to support the local foster care community.

Interview by: Melissa McGrath, President of Houston Angels

Edited by: Hannah Gils | www.hannahgils.com

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

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

DONATE TO HOUSTON ANGELS IN HONOR OF NATIONAL FOSTER CARE MONTH

Mireya spent several years in foster care as a teenager. At age 14, she was removed from her home. She and her 17-year-old sister stayed in an emergency shelter for a few weeks, and eventually they were placed with a foster family.

Although there was an initial culture shock and awkwardness that came with joining a new family's ways and traditions, she has extremely fond memories of those years. She felt safe and loved in her foster home, and enjoyed being surrounded by supportive neighbors and church community.

She talks about all of the contradicting emotions involved with foster care - feeling relieved to be safely removed from her parents' home, yet at the same time, pining for her parents and the familiarity of her old life. After a few years, she was eventually reunified with her bio family. Things were still not okay and as a result, her mental health began to decline. She finally moved in with her best friend, whose family played an important role in guiding her through early adulthood.

Listen to the full episode to hear all about Mireya's journey, how these experiences have fueled her passion and life's work, and how she believes anyone in the local community can make a difference for a child in foster care.

Interview by: Melissa McGrath, President of Houston Angels

Edited by: Hannah Gils | www.hannahgils.com