There are many ways to build your family. Fostering-to-adopt is not the easiest, but it's a beautiful and profoundly impactful thing to do. Join Rachel Fulginiti, creative multi-hyphenate and two-time foster to adopt mom, as she shares her own story and the stories of others who have successfully navigated the foster care system and created their forever families through adoption. We explore the complex journey, touching on subjects like welcoming newborns or older children into your home, resiliency through loss and heartbreak, transracial adoption, special needs, co-parenting through a divorce, and more. We also amplify the voices of adult adoptees, who can teach us so much through their lived experience. If you've ever considered fostering and/or adoption, experienced it first-hand, or are simply curious to learn more, this show is for you.
From Foster to Forever
Claim This Podcastby Rachel Fulginiti
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Podcast Overview
There are many ways to build your family. Fostering-to-adopt is not the easiest, but it's a beautiful and profoundly impactful thing to do. Join Rachel Fulginiti, creative multi-hyphenate and two-time foster to adopt mom, as she shares her own story and the stories of others who have successfully navigated the foster care system and created their forever families through adoption. We explore the complex journey, touching on subjects like welcoming newborns or older children into your home, resiliency through loss and heartbreak, transracial adoption, special needs, co-parenting through a divorce, and more. We also amplify the voices of adult adoptees, who can teach us so much through their lived experience. If you've ever considered fostering and/or adoption, experienced it first-hand, or are simply curious to learn more, this show is for you.
Language
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Publishing Since
2/1/2024
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Recent Episodes
June 23, 2026
Creating Connection: A Foster-to-Adopt Family's Legacy Through Stories | Mark & Jenna Marino
<p>What happens when a foster-to-adopt family channels their journey into creativity, imagination, and storytelling?</p><p>In this heartwarming episode of From Foster to Forever, Rachel sits down with father-daughter writing team Mark and Genevieve Marino to share the remarkable story of how their family was formed through foster care adoption—and how that experience inspired the creation of the whimsical Mrs. Wobble's Tangerine House book series.</p><p>Inspired by friends, Mark and his wife always dreamed of adopting through foster care. When they received a life-changing call about a two-and-a-half-year-old boy who needed a family, they welcomed him into their home and began a journey that would transform all of their lives. Years later, that experience became the inspiration for a magical fictional world where foster children discover belonging, adventure, healing, and choice.</p><p>Together, Mark, Genevieve, and their adopted son Dayveon collaborated on stories that explore themes of family, identity, resilience, imagination, and foster care—all through the lens of fantasy and humor.</p><p>This conversation explores the realities of foster care adoption, sibling relationships, open adoption connections, trauma-informed parenting, and the powerful role storytelling can play in helping families process difficult experiences. It's an inspiring reminder that creativity can be a bridge to healing, understanding, and connection.</p><p>Mark and Genevieve Marino, alongside host Rachel Fulginiti, share their unique familial bond that emerged from their creative endeavors. The episode showcases how creativity can bridge gaps in understanding and foster deeper connections. Mark recounts heartwarming anecdotes about their first encounters with Dayveon, the joys and challenges of creating stories that resonate with children, and how they integrate elements of their lives into the narrative without compromising the privacy or dignity of their experiences. With humor and sincerity, they highlight the role of empathy and support in their family, offering listeners a candid look at the highs and lows of their journey while celebrating the power of stories to heal and connect.</p><h2>In This Episode</h2><ul><li>Why Mark and his wife chose foster-to-adopt</li><li>The emotional phone call that led them to their son</li><li>Bringing a foster child home for the first time</li><li>Helping biological and adopted siblings build connection</li><li>Navigating early trauma and attachment challenges</li><li>What foster parents should know about incomplete records and diagnoses</li><li>Maintaining connections with birth family members</li><li>Reuniting with biological family as an adult adoptee</li><li>How storytelling helped their family process foster care experiences</li><li>Creating Mrs. Wobble's Tangerine House</li><li>Why representation of foster care in children's literature matters</li><li>The healing power of creativity and imagination</li><li>Raising empathetic, resilient children through collaboration and play</li></ul><br/><h3>Siblings Can Be Powerful Bridges</h3><p>Genevieve shares how empathy helped her bond with her younger brother from the beginning, even serving as a "translator" when others struggled to understand him. Their relationship became a foundation for mutual growth and understanding.</p><h3>Stories Create Safe Spaces</h3><p>Rather than directly retelling difficult experiences, the Marino family found healing through fictional storytelling. Their fantasy world allowed them to explore themes of foster care, belonging, grief, identity, and resilience in a way that felt safe and empowering.</p><h3>Creativity Can Strengthen Families</h3><p>The family's collaborative writing process became more than a creative project—it became a way of connecting, communicating, and building lasting memories together.</p><h2>About Mark & Genevieve Marino</h2><p>Mark Marino is a writer, professor, and digital storytelling innovator who teaches at the University of Southern California. Alongside his daughter Genevieve and son Dayveon, he co-created the Mrs. Wobble's Tangerine House series, a collection of imaginative stories inspired by their family's foster care and adoption journey.</p><p>Genevieve (Jenna) Marino recently graduated USC with a degree in psychology and brings her passion for empathy, creativity, and storytelling to the family's collaborative projects. Together, they continue to create stories that celebrate belonging, imagination, and the many ways families are formed.</p><h2>Resources & Links</h2><p><a href="https://markcmarino.com/wordpress/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Mark C. Marino Official Website</a></p><p><a href="https://markcmarino.com/mrsw/?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Mrs. Wobbles & The Tangerine House Official Site</a></p><p>The interactive children's story series created by Mark, Genevieve, and Davion Marino, inspired by their foster care and adoption journey.</p><p><a href="https://markcmarino.com/wordpress/creative-works/coronation-webcomic/?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Coronation Webcomic (The Marino Family's COVID-Era Creative Project)</a></p><p><a href="https://markcmarino.com/mrsw/read.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">📖 </a><strong><a href="https://markcmarino.com/mrsw/read.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Mrs. Wobbles & The Tangerine House: Unboxing</a> (Print book)</strong></p><p>🤝 <strong>Allies for Every Child (formerly Westside Children's Center)</strong></p><p><a href="https://www.alliesforeverychild.org?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Allies for Every Child</a></p><p>The Los Angeles nonprofit that helped support the Marino family's foster care and adoption journey. The organization was formerly known as Westside Children's Center.</p><p>📚 <strong>Lumberjanes Graphic Novel Series</strong></p><p><a href="https://www.boom-studios.com/series/lumberjanes/?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Lumberjanes (BOOM! Studios)</a></p><p>One of the graphic novel series Mark recommends for young readers and families.</p>
June 16, 2026
Why I Became a Foster Parent—and Why I'd Do It Again | Susan Devine
<p>What happens when a school employee opens her home to two brothers in foster care just days before Christmas?</p><p>In this heartfelt episode of From Foster to Forever, host Rachel Fulginiti sits down with foster parent Susan Devine, who shares her powerful experience fostering two brothers through the child welfare system and supporting their eventual reunification with their father. Unlike many foster-to-adopt stories, Susan's journey highlights another important goal of foster care: helping families heal and reunite whenever safely possible.</p><p>Susan discusses how a simple conversation at work led her to become a foster parent, the challenges and rewards of caring for children who have experienced trauma, and the deep bonds that can form even when adoption isn't the outcome. As a single mother and school health aide, Susan offers a refreshing perspective on fostering older children, supporting children with special needs, and staying connected after reunification.</p><p>If you've ever wondered whether foster parenting is right for you, this episode offers an honest, encouraging look at how ordinary people can make an extraordinary difference in a child's life.</p><h2>In This Episode</h2><ul><li>How Susan unexpectedly became a foster parent</li><li>Fostering two brothers just before Christmas</li><li>Supporting children through trauma and uncertainty</li><li>The importance of maintaining connections with biological families</li><li>What reunification looked like for these children</li><li>Foster parenting as a single parent</li><li>The realities of fostering children with special needs</li><li>How community support can help foster families succeed</li><li>Why foster care isn't only about adoption</li><li>Coping with saying goodbye when children reunify</li><li>The lasting impact foster parents can have on a child's life</li><li>Why more families are needed in foster care</li></ul><br/><h2>Key Topics</h2><ul><li>Foster care</li><li>Foster parenting</li><li>Foster family stories</li><li>Foster care reunification</li><li>Foster-to-adopt</li><li>Single foster parents</li><li>Older child foster care</li><li>Special needs foster care</li><li>Child welfare system</li><li>Trauma-informed parenting</li><li>Family reunification</li><li>Becoming a foster parent</li><li>Foster care support</li><li>Dutchess County Foster Care</li></ul><br/><h2>Memorable Quote</h2><blockquote>"It absolutely made me alive again inside and knowing that I was important to someone and that someone needed me." — Susan Devine</blockquote><h2>Resources</h2><p>Interested in becoming a foster parent? Contact your local child welfare agency to learn about foster parent certification, training requirements, and ways you can support children and families in your community.</p>
June 2, 2026
From Foster Youth to Father of Five: Rob Scheer on Foster Care, Adoption, and Permanency
<p><strong>What does it take to break the cycle of trauma and create a forever family?</strong></p><p>In this powerful episode of From Foster to Forever, host Rachel Fulginiti sits down with foster care advocate, author, and Comfort Cases founder Dr. Rob Scheer.</p><p>Rob's story begins in foster care. As one of ten children removed from his biological family, he entered the foster care system carrying his belongings in a trash bag—a reality still faced by many foster youth today. After aging out of care, overcoming trauma, and building a successful life, Rob went on to adopt five children through foster care and become one of the nation's leading voices for foster care reform.</p><p>Together, Rachel and Rob discuss:</p><p>✅ Foster care and adoption realities that prospective foster parents need to understand</p><p>✅ Why permanency matters for children in foster care</p><p>✅ The challenges and rewards of foster-to-adopt parenting</p><p>✅ Transracial adoption and raising Black children in a white family</p><p>✅ Maintaining healthy relationships with biological families after adoption</p><p>✅ Trauma, resilience, and breaking generational cycles</p><p>✅ Foster youth aging out of care</p><p>✅ Advocacy efforts to eliminate trash bags in foster care</p><p>✅ How Comfort Cases is helping children enter foster care with dignity and hope</p><p>Rob also shares why he believes every child deserves unconditional love, stability, and a permanent family—and why communities must do more to support struggling families before children enter foster care in the first place.</p><p>Whether you're a foster parent, adoptive parent, social worker, CASA volunteer, child welfare professional, or someone considering foster care adoption, this episode offers practical wisdom, inspiration, and hope.</p><h2>About Rob Scheer</h2><p>Dr. Rob Scheer is a former foster youth, adoptive father of five, author of A Forever Family: Fostering Change One Child at a Time, and founder of Comfort Cases, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting children entering foster care with backpacks filled with essential items instead of trash bags. Through advocacy, education, and direct support, Comfort Cases has impacted hundreds of thousands of children nationwide.</p><p></p><h2>Resources Mentioned</h2><ul><li>Comfort Cases https://comfortcases.org/</li><li>A Forever Family: Fostering Change One Child at a Time https://shop.comfortcases.org/shop/signed-copy-of-a-forever-family-by-rob-scheer</li><li>Comfort Cases Scholarship Program</li><li>CASA Volunteer Program https://nationalcasagal.org/advocate-for-children/be-a-casa-gal-volunteer/</li><li>Rob Scheer website https://scheerfocus.com/</li></ul><br/><h2>Connect with From Foster to Forever</h2><p>If this episode inspired you, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone interested in foster care, adoption, foster parenting, or child advocacy.</p>
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