Foster Movement Podcast: Jessica

Foster Movement Podcast

The limited-series Foster Movement Podcast connects you to the voices who know the world of foster care best: former foster youth. Their insights will encourage and challenge you, helping you effectively serve children and families where you live. For ongoing episodes highlighting people, ideas, and tools that will help you fill the biggest gaps in foster care where you live, subscribe to the More Than Enough Podcast.

Foster Movement Podcast: Jessica

April 1, 2017

In this pilot episode of the Foster Movement Podcast, we visited with former foster youth, Jessica Francis. Jessica entered foster care at 12 and aged out before going to college. You’ll hear her amazing story of persisting through college as a single mom, her time as a caseworker for the state and how she now uses her experience to step into the lives of other aging out youth so that they have the connection to mentors that she never had.

We are then joined by author and adoptive mom, Pam Parish, who is the Founder and President of Connections Homes out of Atlanta. Connections Homes helps followers of Christ provide trusted relationships for young adults who have aged out of foster care. She shares practical tips on beginning this same kind of inspiring and vital work in your church and community.

To Learn More:

The Thru Project, San Antonio, TX (Jessica Francis): thruproject.org
Connections Homes, Atlanta, GA (Pam Parish): connectionshomes.org

Key Quote:

"I had to figure out a lot of things on my own. I tell people at times I feel like Google was my advisor or mentor, support person, because I didn't have that one stable person there that I could always talk to." - Jessica Francis, Former Foster Youth
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Meet Our Guests

Jessica Francis

From the age of 13-18, Jessica was placed with a foster family until aging out of the system. Observing the different paths to adulthood that her brother and sister have taken, Jessica has valuable insight that she now enjoys sharing with current foster care youth. A native of San Antonio, Jessica is a graduate of UTSA, with a BA in Criminal Justice and is currently embarking upon her Master’s Degree in Kinesiology. Once a case worker with Child Protective Services, Jessica now serves as the Program Administrator of the THRU Project.

Pam Parish

Follower of Jesus Christ. Wife of the most handsome man on the planet for 24 years and counting. Mom of eight incredibly beautiful and amazing young women. Nana to four spunky grandchildren. Foster Care and Adoption Advocate. Author of the Ready or Not Devotional series for foster and adoptive families. Founder and President of Connections Homes, an Atlanta-based organization working with young adults who've aged out of foster care, are homeless or otherwise without family.