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Welcome to The Foster Friendly Podcast. We’re bringing foster care closer to home by sharing stories from the front lines. We're talking with former foster youth, foster parents and others who are finding unique and powerful ways to dramatically improve the experiences and outcomes for kids in foster care.
The Foster Friendly podcast is brought to you by America’s Kids Belong, a nonprofit that helps kids in foster care find belonging in both family and community.
Courtney (00:01.397)
Hello and welcome to another episode of the Foster Friendly Podcast. My name is Courtney Williams and I'm joined by my co-host, Travis Vongsness. And today we have something kind of fun, something new that we haven't done before, talking to a screenwriter and film producer. Our guest today is Erin Dooley. She is an award-winning screenwriter and filmmaker. Her scripts often deal with themes of faith, forgiveness, and family. Erin has produced an audio sitcom podcast, two feature films, numerous short films, and a web series.
She's a former foster mom, now foster care advocate, and her latest short film, Adopting Faith, is an important film that really is an impact in the foster care community and adoption community. She is using it to educate the public on foster care and adoption and other ways that other people can get involved and help foster youth. So welcome today, Erin.
Erin Dooley (00:50.903)
Thank you for having me. I'm glad to be here.
Travis (00:53.068)
Yeah, really good to have you. So before we jump more into sort of some of the stuff we're going to talk about in this podcast, just tell us a little bit about how you got into film and what's been that journey like so far.
Erin Dooley (01:03.873)
Yeah, it's been about, I think, 20 years since I first started writing. It was right around this time I was waiting to get picked up to go to my cousin's wedding and I had this story that would just not leave my head and I was like, all right, I've got a little bit of time, just gonna write it down, naively thinking that, then it'll all be over and I'll just stop thinking of the story. But that just opened Pandora's box. I didn't realize that the next idea is gonna come right away as soon as you put pen to paper on the first one so that...
Travis (01:27.054)
Ha ha.
Erin Dooley (01:33.245)
basically started me on my writing journey. so I originally from the suburbs of Chicago and did some short film. Most of my stuff in the early days was of course out there and started writing and then working on other people's projects as well to just get used to all the different facets of filmmaking. And I made my first feature film. I kind of dove into the deep end and did a two hour musical.
with 26 songs and 12 lead casts, so it was a lot. But I think you do that when you're new and naive and you're like, oh, how hard can this be? But you wouldn't do that if you knew how hard it was going to be. Right, yeah, I'm like, oh, I can do all this stuff. yeah, so then I just, and then about 10 years ago, I moved out to LA to chase the dream and I've been out here.
Travis (02:01.539)
Ha ha.
Travis (02:11.374)
Ha ha ha.
Courtney (02:11.445)
You
Travis (02:14.542)
Everything downhill from there kind of.
Ha ha.
Erin Dooley (02:29.977)
and writing and working, you know, also worked on other people's projects at the beginning, but then more started to focus on my own. Cause I just kept hearing when you're out here, you know, you can fall into making other people's dreams come true. And then you look back at your life, you're like, wait a second, this isn't what I came out here for. So that's really sort of stuck with me on making sure that I am telling the stories that I want to tell. And for me it is, yeah, like stories about faith, family and forgiveness, the good F words, as I say.
Courtney (02:57.749)
Yeah.
Erin Dooley (02:59.181)
Yeah, to try to make an impact. There's plenty of popcorn movies out there. But for me, I want to entertain, also just leave people something to think about after they see something of mine.
Travis (03:12.887)
that. Yeah.
Courtney (03:13.677)
Yeah, very cool. Love the good f words. So let's dive in a little bit into kind of how this evolved into this this current film, this latest one. But so you were a volunteer before becoming a foster parent. Tell us a little bit about that and what you did and kind of how that led you into fostering.
Erin Dooley (03:16.695)
Yeah.
Travis (03:17.055)
No.
Erin Dooley (03:27.996)
Mm-hmm.
Erin Dooley (03:32.375)
Yeah, I had, I don't have any biological children and, but then I just felt this nudge for me. am a person of faith. So for me, it felt like it was coming from God. Other people might, you know, attribute it to something else, but I just felt like, okay, there's something calling me to help foster kids, but I wasn't sure what to do. And I'm single. So I was like, I don't know if I can do it all on my own. And so I was just thinking about it. And so then I was
I looked to see what organizations there are and in LA and so there are a lot of organizations that help in many different facets. And so first I found an organization, is a, the children live in cottages at a residential facility. And so I worked monthly to help at events there. But I really didn't feel like I could connect that much with an individual kid, because we just kind of.
breezed in, held these events for like two hours and then we were gone. I mean, the most that I ever connected was actually we were playing bingo one day and I noticed that there was a boy who's deaf and he was struggling to kind of know what was happening. And I learned the alphabet and ASL as a kid. And so I sat next to him and I at least could tell him, help him play his card. But then he thought I knew a lot more ASL than I do. So then.
Travis (04:54.533)
Uhhh-huh.
Erin Dooley (04:55.437)
But that was like the most I actually connected with any of the children there. So then after a year of that, I thought, well, I'd like to do something a bit more. And I found an organization that you can be a mentor for somebody who has aged out or they may have been reunified, but they're an adult now. They're over 19 and they're trying to live independently. And you just walk alongside them to help them because of course, know, any of us, even if we were raised by our biological
families. It's like at 18, did any of us know how to navigate life? So it was to help her, like the gal that I helped, she was living in a hotel and so trying to get her on housing lists and things like that. did that for a year and realized, okay, you know, we were, I could have, I felt like I could have just done more if I had somebody earlier in the stage. And so then that I thought, well, I guess all that's left is to foster. So I went and I got certified.
Courtney (05:26.485)
You
Travis (05:49.25)
Haha
Erin Dooley (05:52.429)
and I had a teenage girl for 14 months with me. And yeah, it was a blessing. She's a lovely gal. We're still in touch. She just graduated high school. She's going off to college in the fall. So we still have that connection. yeah, that's my foster journey.
Courtney (06:10.407)
That's beautiful. I love it. And really focusing on those teenagers as we know that that's often the biggest need. awesome that you were willing to jump in to a teenager.
Erin Dooley (06:16.3)
Yeah.
Yeah, yeah. My whole life I've worked, well, I don't know my whole life, but I've worked a lot with kids and like I helped out with the young adult group at my church. so teenagers was always where my, sort of resonated a little bit better. Like, yeah. So it's like, yeah, I can't change diapers. I've even like changed my niece's and nephew's diapers. was, yeah, yeah. There was one mother's day when my nephew was, you know, still at diapers and.
Travis (06:19.566)
Mm-hmm. Yeah.
Travis (06:40.904)
huh, right. huh.
Erin Dooley (06:49.257)
my sister-in-law's like, it's Mother's Day, like, you should give me a break. I was like, you married my brother, not me. He can do the diapers.
Travis (06:54.478)
Step it up.
Courtney (06:57.269)
That's hilarious.
Travis (06:59.054)
That was great. Yeah. Well, too, like I love kind of your intro in setting this up of just, you know, a in your own story of the diversity of ways, you know, one can engage the space, which we'll talk more about, but also like, I want to highlight to the, I love what you said is you kicked it off as you were volunteering at the children's home of like, you know, walking that space of even a place, you know, the ASL background or wherever you had, you'll never know what kind of gifts or experiences.
you know, we bring prior that like, people see this all the time where is there fostering or engaging these kids in some way that like, like you lean on that or you're surprised of, my gosh, we have this connection. So yeah, that's very cool. Yeah. Well, and, and you're someone that's really lived this out, you know, through the different ways you have engaged this. So that really sets up the credibility for where we're going next in your, your short film. So you have a short film called adopting faith.
Erin Dooley (07:39.393)
Yeah.
Travis (07:55.084)
where you lean into some of your experience and I'm sure with friends and other, you know, ways you gain feedback on that film. Tell us more about it, how it came to be and just bring us into that story.
Erin Dooley (08:06.465)
Yeah, I wrote it while I was still discerning the ways that I would help. And so I think I may have been working at the, or volunteering at the group home at the point that I wrote it. And I wrote it for a contest and you work with a mentor and get feedback on it. And so I placed fairly high in the contest and then it just sort of sat in my hard drive for a while. And then after I was done fostering, then I was like, okay.
As a single person, was like, okay, I don't think I can do fostering again on my own. So I just pivoted to them being an advocate. And I was like, well, I have the short, let's see. while I was fostering, made a friend through one of the support groups and she adopted her daughter out of care. And so I said, can you please read this? Because, I haven't done the adoption route, so I just want to make sure that it's not too like syrupy sweet, but it also isn't too harsh. Like, is it real?
And so she read it and I was like, please, like, I have pretty thick skin with my writing, you know, tell me, cause I want it to resonate with people. w I'd rather have the, harsher feedback now and fix it. And then the audiences get, you know, the better product. so she read it was like, no, think it strikes that balance in between, you know, still giving a glimpse of, know, what could happen with children who have experienced some traumas, but without going, you know, it's not.
movie of the week where you're going to go full on in and all that. So I felt pretty good after she gave me that feedback. And so we shot it earlier this year. We had to delay because of the LA wildfires where we were supposed to film was being evacuated. So we delayed that. But yeah, it's been great to get feedback from
Courtney (09:47.189)
Thank
Erin Dooley (09:55.649)
different foster organizations that have viewed it to say, just to see their eyes light up and I can see the wheels spinning off the hallway, how can we use this? Because I made it for everybody to be able to use and if foster organizations find some use for it within their organization, then I'm happy for them to use it. Obviously, as long as they me credit that I made it, but other than that, they're free to use it. So yeah, that was.
Travis (10:18.264)
Mm-hmm.
Travis (10:24.002)
Yeah, yeah, thanks for sharing.
Courtney (10:24.309)
Yeah, I was able to view the film. I've actually watched it a couple times now and I just really resonated with it and the fact of we adopted one of our children, a few of our children, but one of our children through foster care at an older age. She was 15 when she came to us and it was very similar to our journey in the, you know, trying to push away, trying to push away, trying to push away, not really trusting and believing we're going to stick around. And then eventually we did have that come around point.
Erin Dooley (10:45.133)
Mm.
Erin Dooley (10:51.062)
Yeah.
Courtney (10:54.421)
Not that it was easy, not that it was all solved, but we had that moment where it was like, okay, we're in this together, we've got this, it's gonna be hard, but we can do this. And I really felt that with the film, like was very realistic to what it's very much like. I, you know, it's hard for people to understand who aren't in the realm of foster care adoption to understand what it's really like. And I think things like this give a little glimpse for other people to understand. So for me personally, like I've used it more like I wanna go.
Erin Dooley (10:56.161)
Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
Erin Dooley (11:02.892)
Yeah.
Courtney (11:22.855)
I want my friends and family to watch this to know like, this is part of our journey. This is part of what our home is like and, you know, ways that they can support us or understand our home a little bit more.
Erin Dooley (11:24.61)
Mm.
Mm-hmm.
Yeah, yeah, because they only see the outside when you're out at events or different things. people are like, you know, I've just read a lot of on different foster websites and things that from the outside, it's like, I could never do that. You're here. It's like, no, I'm just somebody that stepped up and did this. And it's hard. yeah, to kind of peel back that curtain a little bit and be like, OK, this is what it's a little bit like so you can understand.
Travis (11:58.094)
Mm-hmm.
Erin Dooley (12:00.821)
I ask for some help or, you know, just so you can maybe offer now that you've seen what it's a glimpse of what it's like. So I'm happy that it resonated with you.
Travis (12:08.782)
Well, and Courtney, mean, how many kids have you fostered through the last decade? So if you're getting an endorsement from Courtney on the realness of it, I mean, that's...
Courtney (12:09.234)
Yeah.
Courtney (12:13.863)
Over 70 now.
Erin Dooley (12:15.213)
Wow! Yeah! Yeah, that's... Thank you.
Travis (12:23.278)
Yeah. And I had watched it too. um, I, yeah, I, I love the, moments of just the gritty real of, know, kind of some of those relational, like, uh, turf wars of, know, okay, are you gonna, are you here for me? Are you really here for me? And kind of just some of the behavior stuff, they're just real. I mean, kids are coming from trauma and hard places. So yeah, you really portrayed that well. And then it was inspiring as well.
Erin Dooley (12:41.022)
Yeah.
Yeah. Thanks.
Courtney (12:48.649)
So I'm curious to hear from you, what are some of the key takeaways that you really hope viewers get from this film, things for them to understand, kind like we've been talking about, but what are some things that you've been hoping that people get from it?
Erin Dooley (13:00.153)
I think that it's just the, approach ability, I hope, because, know, here's a woman and I'm not spoiling anything for people that haven't watched it yet, but, know, we, we opened with her and she, she has made this decision to foster and then her husband has just passed away and, know, can I do this on my own? And I think that just that question of like, can I do this is a lot of people when, if somebody were to ask them, have you ever thought about fostering?
just that question of, I do this, would be resonating with anybody. We all ask ourselves, like, am I really up to that task? And so I'm hoping that it would just open the door for people to consider that question of, can I do this? And even though this story does focus on adoption, as we all know, that's only like a quarter of the children will not be able to be reunified. And so 75 % it will be.
that is the purpose, of course, of fostering. I don't want it, it's been interesting to write a message because it's like, it is about adoption, but that's not all I want people to go in this for. I want them to, and then as we said earlier, beyond all the different ways, because everybody can't bring a child into their home, but they could do other things. And so through these film and foster affairs that I'm having, we had one in LA and...
We're gonna be having one in Colorado and other states where people come, they watch the film, and then I invite area foster organizations to share the ways that they can help. And it's, I'm specifically telling these foster organizations and I'm searching out all the different ones that do, you know, all the various things to say, please, you know, do not just focus on that they can foster. You know, there's plenty of places in each city that, you know, with agencies and such, I would like to...
for you to highlight other ways so that people can say, okay, I can't do that, but I can do this. And so really just trying to open that message because I mean, for me, being a single person, never having parented before, and I was like, you know, you can know something in your mind, but then when you actually live it, you're like, wow, like my world is just these four walls now and this child, the stranger who's placed in my home and I'm not somebody that.
Travis (15:09.976)
Mm-hmm.
Courtney (15:11.989)
Thank
Travis (15:19.022)
Mmm.
Erin Dooley (15:24.981)
is big. I know this might sound silly to people, but it became a bigger thing for me because I don't like to cook. I don't care about food. For me, food is fuel. I don't care. But when you get a teenager, they can talk back and they can express their opinion. And day two, she was like, we need better food. Like, don't eat this. And she didn't mean better tasting. was because it was a lot of easy meals. And she was like, we need fresh food.
Travis (15:32.622)
Ha ha.
Courtney (15:42.921)
Thank you.
Travis (15:43.682)
Haha.
Erin Dooley (15:51.735)
So then I was like, man, I gotta cook every night from scratch. So even just if people decide, we're gonna, in our community, design meal trains for new foster families so that as they're getting their children out to all these appointments that they have to do right at the beginning and just trying to bond as a family, that thing could be taken care of. So just trying to open up people's minds of different ways that might not be a traditional.
Travis (15:54.766)
Ha ha.
Erin Dooley (16:20.235)
way of when you think of fostering, because I'm sure, know, Courtney, even all these years, when you ever you bring it up, people, just don't think about it until you say, yeah, I'm fostered. And then people start talking and they think it's very binary. Like I can do this thing or I can't. And I'm like, there's so much in between. There's so many ways. that's the broader goal of what I'm trying to open up.
Courtney (16:41.269)
Mmm.
Courtney (16:48.26)
It's wonderful that you just shared that. And I gotta just share this little story because this is like right now, I mean, literally as we're sitting here talking, I don't like sit and watch my phone, but I've got a lot of kids. I gotta kind make sure there's not like SOS going on. And as I peek down, it's a friend that was over at my house last night. And she's saying, are you home this morning? Can I drop off coffee for you? But she was in my home last night and she saw we have two brand new kiddos in our care. One's a five year old nonverbal autistic kiddo who were just all over, you know, just watching all over the place. And then a 21 month old.
Erin Dooley (17:11.693)
Mm-hmm.
Courtney (17:16.5)
And had she not been in my home last night, I don't think she would have even realized like, oh, this is what Courtney's day to day is like right now. You know, and then for her to send me this message, just say, can I bring you coffee? And I think again, that's just what this film does. And even the film, if you haven't seen it, you should see this film, Sound of Hope. Cause feel like that's another thing, like films like this, like get people to see like, it's great if you can step up and foster or adopt. But like really, like you're saying, like we need people to come alongside these families and see like.
Travis (17:19.458)
Hmm.
Erin Dooley (17:23.295)
Right, yeah.
nice
Erin Dooley (17:33.643)
Mm-hmm.
Travis (17:34.136)
Mm-hmm.
Erin Dooley (17:45.399)
Yeah.
Courtney (17:46.271)
bringing them a coffee, that makes my day. You know, my husband's out of town. Like it's meaningful to me. Bringing over a meal, helping with laundry, any of those things that can support foster families, the biological families, it really does make a difference. I love that you're highlighting that and talking about that.
Erin Dooley (17:48.277)
Yeah.
Mm-hmm.
Erin Dooley (18:02.669)
Yeah, takes villages, they say, right?
Travis (18:04.526)
Well, and we're not done highlighting that. it's actually, like, you know, kind of in the course of this conversation, we're going to kind of keep sprinkling that in, I think is what we're going to do. So we're coming back to that again. But as we kind of continue on with the film, looking at that, mean, curious where any of the actors or any of the people involved in the set had experience with foster care or any of that.
Courtney (18:08.167)
Yeah.
Erin Dooley (18:08.844)
haha
Courtney (18:17.269)
But we're going to continue on.
Erin Dooley (18:29.289)
Yeah, actually, once we were on set, and I obviously know my experience, and one of the actresses, she adopted, not out of care, but she did adopt her daughter. And then I started just asking people, and two thirds of people, and I didn't hire only people that had experience, but two thirds of the cast and crew had some connection directly with either foster care or adoption in general.
and so it just goes to show that, you know, you meet somebody, you have no idea their story and what their connection might be to care. And as I've talked more to people, I'll just be saying, I have this movie and they're like, yeah, I fostered, I used to foster, I did this. And it's like, it's just, it's yeah, it's interesting how many people do have a connection. And it was, yeah, two thirds of people, have. Yeah. Yeah.
Courtney (19:26.313)
That is wild. Yeah, I don't get that as often. you know, oftentimes people are like, I don't know anything about that. they'll, you know, what they know is like from movies or from other things they don't have.
Erin Dooley (19:31.275)
Hahaha
Yeah, yeah. Right, yeah. Yeah, it was more like leaning towards like adoption, but at least like that idea of, you know, some sort of blended or, you know, non-traditional, so to speak, family. And so I think that if people have that in their head, it might maybe opens their minds a little bit more. They're more easy to understand, like, yeah, like you can love a child that isn't yours because, and actually when
I very, very first had felt this nudge. My brother came into town and so we went out with his, one of his friends who I had met before and that man's wife and they had just adopted. It was still in the early, it was like the month where the biological mother could still reclaim her rights. And so I'm holding this baby and like the cutest baby in the world, right? And just, I was like, wow, like.
It just hit me like, you they're adopting and I just already also felt like love for this baby and it's like, yeah, like in that moment it solidified the idea that Yeah, people can absolutely like totally love a child that isn't theirs because here I was like already feeling love for this baby that I wasn't even adopting my brother's friend was but it's yeah, so you know, it's of course different, you know in some in many regards, but
Travis (20:36.291)
Hmm.
Travis (20:51.32)
Ha
Travis (20:57.71)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Erin Dooley (21:00.449)
Yeah, so we can all care for the kids.
Travis (21:04.878)
Yeah, great message there.
Courtney (21:09.097)
So you've kind of already answered this, but I just want to hear more about your hopes for this film. do you hope to take it? What do you hope? Yeah. What are your hopes for, you know, the next year or a few years with it?
Erin Dooley (21:20.009)
Yeah, the main thrust is these fill in foster affairs that I mentioned and trying to get a grassroots effort with that because I have a whole hosting kit to make it really turnkey because I can't be flying around the country doing these all over the place. And so it's, it has all of the emails that people need to send. They can just copy and paste. has the press release. They can copy and paste it as images. All they have to do is put their date and their location and bam, it's up and running. And so it's.
whatever, it's like a 20 page document, I send them. so if people are interested in that and there's a video, if people need to hear things to make it, you because I know people learn in different ways. I was like, okay, I want to make a video and a PDF version of this instructions. And so that's available for people who have already in talks with some other communities. And then hopefully we did just get accepted into a film festival. And it's a shorts film festival here in LA and
there's gonna be a short Q &A. those audiences are, since they're just a wider spectrum of just your average man on the street, so to speak, I'm really happy to be getting into those, because then I can just expose people to this message. Because with the Film and Foster Fairs, a lot of them are in faith communities, because that was just easier for me to...
Travis (22:39.982)
Mm-hmm.
Erin Dooley (22:43.147)
dive into and have some connections. But it would be open to everybody. They're just the ones that are probably going to help plan. anybody can. I'm not limiting to that. It's just the ones that I've worked in establishing right now have that way. And then, of different foster organizations want to use it. The Dave Thomas Foundation, they said that they're going to email this a link to it to their people.
Travis (22:52.472)
Mm-hmm.
Erin Dooley (23:07.181)
And so I was like, okay, I'm waiting to see that spike in my YouTube video Yeah, yeah, so hopefully that still happens now that I've just put it out there But I did get my So I've been trying to make those connections and I think it's it's interesting because this film on YouTube it's my fastest growing one and I mean it's just it's the message right because the half of
Travis (23:07.489)
Wow.
Travis (23:11.36)
Yeah, they're big. That's huge.
Courtney (23:12.223)
Yeah.
Travis (23:19.8)
Ha ha.
Erin Dooley (23:35.201)
the people that are finding it. It's not me giving them a link. It's they're just finding it on YouTube. And so I think because of that, people get curious about foster care, which is great. so, yeah, hopefully that'll just continue to grow and people, can just point people in directions. I have a page on my website with resources, you some national ones, and then I have some California ones since I'm here, but just trying to be a little bit of a clearing house to just to keep reflecting people back, pushing them back into their communities to say,
Just Google, like, you know, volunteering a foster kids in my county and see what comes up. so yeah, just trying to just as, wherever people will play it to help educate people is, you know, as big as it can be. that would be my dream now, cause it's not really, that's not of all the films, you know, you try to make it for yourself and like, what is this gonna, and of course, if this open stores for me in my filmmaking, all the better, but.
Travis (24:27.8)
Mm-hmm.
Erin Dooley (24:33.791)
It really is. And I do keep coming back to that when I was first deciding even how to put it out there in the world. There are some platforms, you know, that maybe you'll get some money, but they were smaller platforms. And I was like, but nobody's going to find it on those as readily as YouTube. And I was like, and I saw, just keep coming back. Like, why did you make this film? You made it to educate as many people.
and just expose as many people to the idea of foster care and foster care adoption. it's a grounding sentiment for me to be like, okay, this is why you made it. So just, it is your gift to the world to just keep being an advocate. So yeah, just hopefully that people share it once they find it with their, you know, everybody that they know. So.
Travis (25:07.79)
Hmm.
Travis (25:13.496)
Mm-hmm.
Travis (25:22.862)
Yeah. A hundred percent. I actually, it's funny you kind of ended on that saying about, cause I was just thinking that as you were talking about, how as a filmmaker, you you have, you've created something that you want to share. And of course, you know, if it grows something in your business or what you're doing, of course that's a thing, but
Courtney (25:24.405)
Bread the word.
Travis (25:46.402)
The fact in this case, seems like you've already said is you're also, there's this sense that you're also an ambassador to this space that maybe it's pushing you in a way to be even more courageous in the way that you're trying to share it to maybe even people that you wouldn't have because you're stepping up for those that are in the margins. And that's one of the things that I find really inspiring of what you're doing. And that's also why it's really cool to have you on as a guest because I'm really curious about
the creative space for foster care. There's been some major films out there and we've talked about that in other episodes, but people that are using their creative gift to, whether it could be music or art or film, but in a way that like to illuminate the margins for these kids is incredibly needed. So yeah, well, thanks for, yeah, just sharing all about the background and kind of the vision and everything around the film.
Erin Dooley (26:28.237)
Mm-hmm.
Erin Dooley (26:37.249)
Yeah.
Courtney (26:37.685)
Thanks for, yeah, just sharing all about the background and vision and the film. Going back to what we keep sprinkling in about the wider space of getting engaged. America's Kids Along, the foster-friendly movement. This is a foster-friendly podcast. miss the Rogers neighborhood.
Travis (26:45.268)
going back to what we keep sprinkling in about the, you know, sort of the wider space of getting engaged. America's Kids Belong, we call it the foster friendly movement. This is the foster friendly podcast, kind of like Mr. Rogers neighborhood of foster care, you know, come meet all your neighbors. So we really dream to see the grassroots side of everyday people getting involved, you know, in being educated and growing awareness.
Erin Dooley (27:00.727)
Mm-hmm.
Travis (27:12.622)
part of what you're doing with this film. We've already talked some about this. You've shared your heart on it. But if you were to kind of bring that part to a close of what words of encouragement, you know, would you kind of give to listeners for getting involved?
Erin Dooley (27:29.617)
what I've been saying at these fairs is that, you know, not, not everybody, we all can't do everything, but everybody can do something. And so whether it is your friend just bringing you coffee, but that means the world in these small moments do mean a lot, you know, friends that came and came, you know, watched my daughter, w so I could just have a little bit of a break, you know, those small things. and so.
We can all choose to be involved. was thinking about this this morning before we got on about what I think kids need. And it's just people choosing them. I mean, we all want to be chosen, whether it's our friends, you know, choosing like, like you're a great person. I want to be friends with you. Or, you know, of course, then when we get married, that person choosing you on these kids for whatever reason that they end up at care, you know, maybe they don't feel chosen. And so even if it is
we're just volunteering or I shouldn't say just even if that's what we can do, we're still choosing to engage with these children and step in as a caring adult because we all need a lot of caring adults. I we think back to all of our past, you we might've had a coach, a teacher that was really impactful on us. And of course our parents are our primary, but there's these other touch points that we have. And so I think that we can all choose to be a small touch point, a positive impact in some way to kids in care and
So I just, yeah, just open minds on ways that we can help the kids in care.
Travis (29:03.086)
soon.
Courtney (29:04.213)
Yeah, and I don't think, I mean, I can't think of anybody that I know that's ever helped in some capacity that hasn't said, wow, like that impacted me in my life. You know, I mean, what you give in will be brought back to you tenfold in the understanding, the, you know, understanding people, understanding the needs, understanding our communities, all of it. It just really is such a need. And there's so many ways to get involved.
Erin Dooley (29:13.188)
yeah.
Erin Dooley (29:18.855)
Mm-hmm. Yeah.
Erin Dooley (29:23.134)
Yes, yes.
Erin Dooley (29:28.609)
Yeah.
Erin Dooley (29:32.117)
Yeah, definitely. has definitely brought a lot to my life to have done to foster it for even though I only have fostered one child and people like you, you've fostered so many, but even just that little taste of it definitely has illuminated me on looking at how people's like, do they, why are they doing that? Just from the trauma books that I read and that just broadens it for everybody that I come across to be like,
You know, people don't just do things, know, that's, there's reasons. So, yeah, definitely has brought a lot to my life to have helped out in the ways that I can. And like you say, it comes back, just come back to me as a big blessing. And so I just want to keep like, now it's just like the cycle of like, okay, I gave and then I was given. Well, now I'm going to keep giving because it's, yeah. So I just like this unending loop of, of care.
Courtney (30:19.839)
Me.
Courtney (30:25.489)
Yeah, it's beautiful. Yeah, so you already answered this question, but just to sum it up again, how you would answer what kids in foster care really need is, and you said to be chosen, right?
Erin Dooley (30:37.375)
Yeah, yeah, people that choose to step in in whatever way they can.
Courtney (30:44.127)
That's one thing we try to teach our kids. You know, we don't do it perfectly. They don't do it perfectly. We're all imperfect, but you know, going to the park, going to school, going to, we go to quite a few events with other foster youth and, you know, looking for those kids that are sitting off by themselves, looking for those kids in your class who don't usually get picked for things. Like if you're the captain, can you please just pick one of those kids first? You know, make their day, make their, make their year, you know, and just always like that, that gift of being chosen and feeling belonging it.
Erin Dooley (30:59.179)
Mm-hmm.
Travis (31:04.514)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Erin Dooley (31:06.258)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yeah.
Travis (31:12.174)
Mm-hmm.
Courtney (31:14.297)
really makes a difference again, especially for these kiddos who have often not felt that really ever in their lives.
Erin Dooley (31:15.745)
Yeah.
Erin Dooley (31:19.722)
Yeah.
Travis (31:22.028)
Yeah, I love that Courtney. That's yeah, that really puts a bow tie and kind of the end of this episode in that way. And so really have appreciated having you on Aaron. What we're going to do is in the show notes, we'll show a link or share a link for your film adopting faith. And so definitely want to spread the word on that. And as you watch that, share that as well. Really impacted by that.
Then also on our website at America's Kids Belong, we have various tabs. One of them is just how can you help? And you click on that and you'll see, you know, the different avenues of getting engaged, caring for foster families. If you're a business or a faith community. And then we also have a tab called become foster friendly and where we talk more about the foster friendly app we have, the discounts that offers the foster families. And then again, just other ways, if you're a faith community or a business or an individual, you can engage foster care.
Courtney (31:46.717)
And also on our website at America's Control, we have various tabs.
Travis (32:16.054)
So thanks so much for joining us today.
Courtney (32:17.237)
Thanks much for joining us today. Yeah, thanks Aaron.
Erin Dooley (32:18.989)
Yeah, thanks so much for having me. It's been wonderful and I love the work that you all are doing and I was, yeah, so I'll help spread the word for you guys too. This is, yeah, it's so amazing. Yeah, I was like, did I put them on my website of resources? I'm pretty sure they did, but I'm gonna go check and make sure.
Courtney (32:28.149)
Thanks!
Travis (32:28.191)
I really appreciate that.
Courtney (32:34.325)
Awesome. Yeah, well, we appreciate that and appreciate what you're giving back.
Travis (32:42.158)
Mm-hmm.
Thanks Aaron.