
Bonus Babies
The Anthem Award winning BONUS BABIES podcast is the only one of its kind that features the compelling true-life hard-hitting stories of those with a lived foster care experience and the people who care for them––all via the unique 360* lens of a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteer. Through raw first-hand accounts, BONUS BABIES reveals the daunting complexity of the foster care world while documenting the challenges, failures and successes of the system as well as the people and the agencies involved. The creator and host, Jayne Amelia Larson, is a CASA - a Court Appointed Special Advocate volunteer for youth in foster care. In the same way a CASA works, she explores all things in the foster care maze by talking to kids, parents, caregivers, attorneys, social workers, therapists, adoptees, adoptive parents, members of community and social programs...anybody and everybody who will speak to her to keep the conversation open and the information flowing about all things CASA––to give a forum to help people understand what it's like to have a lived foster care experience. Original music by Christina Apostolopoulos. Emma Karpman is our Social Media Manager. Audio engineering and mixing by Adam "Yukon" Harr of Blue Oak Mastering. Executive Producer is Jake Eberle. Cover art by John Crowther.
Bonus Babies
Charity Chandler-Cole: I Am Capable Of Achieving Whatever I Want To Achieve
Jayne Amelia speaks with Charity Chandler-Cole. Charity is an author, scholar and activist and "... the CEO of CASA of Los Angeles, Court Appointed Special Advocates for youth impacted by the Foster Care and Juvenile Justice Systems. Born and raised in Los Angeles and having harshly endured its child welfare and juvenile justice systems, she has spent over a decade helping to influence and impact social structures, policies and systems that have negatively and disproportionately impacted and oppressed foster youth and vulnerable communities. Charity works passionately to address the issues and challenges plaguing our communities, women and youth and uses her powerful story of redemption and triumph to inspire people under the mantra, 'If Charity can do it, then so can I.' Charity believes strongly in changing the narrative and outcomes surrounding system impacted individuals and uses her many platforms to engage, educate, develop and empower people from all walks of life to be change agents, visionaries, and successful agents of society, regardless of their upbringing or past.
In addition to leading CASA of Los Angeles, Charity serves in several highly impactful positions, including her role as Commissioner with LA County Children & Families, where she is co-chair of its Racial Justice Committee; African American Advisory Board to District Attorney, George Gascon; and is currently pursuing her Doctorate’s Degree in Educational Leadership for Social Justice at her Alma mater, Loyola Marymount University. Charity is one of the original founding board members for the Anti-Recidivism Coalition, a non-profit that works to end mass incarceration in California, where she served the board for eight years, four of which as board chair. Charity was also one of the first people with lived experience to serve California’s Board of State and Community Corrections’, Juvenile Justice Standing Committee. Charity is a wife and mother to four beautiful children and was, until recently, a relative caregiver and legal guardian to her nephew for 12 years."
CharityChandlerCole.com
and her new book Stranger Danger 2023
IG@charity_chandlercole
CASAla.org
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