15: Debbie: "You have to heal the trauma. You have to heal that wound.‪"‬ Class Reunion: The Podcast

Welcome to the final regular season episode of "Class Reunion: The Podcast"! 

In this episode, I have a conversation with Debbie Zamparelli, now Debbie Howard, who was one of the folks who attended our in-person reunion in September 2021. We ended up hitting it off, striking up a friendship we didn't have when we were teens. When we sat around the campfire later that night and she started telling me some of her story about growing up in Aurora, I asked if she'd come on the podcast and tell it instead. 

I'm so glad she said yes. 

This conversation is the only podcast interview that I recorded after the reunion in Aurora, Missouri, but that's not the only reason I decided to make it the finale. Debbie's experience of moving into a foster home at age 12, getting her first job at 14 and having a baby a week after graduation is only where the story begins, not where it ends. 

She is now a real estate closing specialist in Searcy, Arkansas, who has raised five children over the past 20 years. Her youngest still lives at home, and she's taking college classes for the first time. 

It was so special to talk with Debbie for this final episode of this first season of the show. We cover a lot of ground and I end the episode with some thoughts about what making this show has taught me about the concepts of "hometown" and "community." I have at least one bonus episode that I'll surprise you with soon, so stay tuned on Patreon.com.com/classreunionpodcast if you want to support future seasons of the show. 

Thanks to sponsors Advanced Eyecare Kansas City, Aurora Professional Pharmacy, Bill Baker and the Classes of 1972 and 1975 for their support of the show. I'm also grateful to Patreon subscribers who chip in a few bucks each month to help cover production costs, like the website and the episode donations. 

Each week, the classmate featured in the show picks an organization or non-profit, and I make a donation on behalf of the class and this show. This week, that donation is going to Virginia Gaston's For the Kids, an organization founded by Debbie's foster mom to help other foster kids in Southwest Missouri. This is the third donation to For the Kids this season. If you want to support the group, follow them on Facebook.

Thanks to podcast supporters and sponsors, we've donated nearly $500 to Southwest Missouri nonprofits through this show. An extra thanks to Chris Gonzalez, Alyssa Vidales, Chandler Hoefle, Sis Broyles, Chris and Betsy Cook, Robin and Manuel Beltrán, Dani Johnson and Frank Curry for their encouragement and production support.   

Check us out on Instagram @classreunionpodcast or at classreunionpodcast.com.