In this episode we interview Alexis Lira, a previous foster youth who was adopted as a teenager. You will hear about her early life and how it led to her being placed in Texas foster care and her journey from having no desire to be adopted, to then agreeing to be placed on the Heart Gallery website, and then meeting and being adopted by her parents. Her story is not without bumps along the way, but her resilience and that of her adoptive parents shines through the entirety of her story.

For more information on foster care and adoption, please check out the following resources:

Heart Gallery of Central Texas: heartgallerytexas.com

Texas Adoption Resource Exchange (TARE): https://www.dfps.texas.gov/Adoption_and_Foster_Care/About_TARE/Adoption/

Department of Family and Protective Services: https://www.dfps.texas.gov/

Foster Community:

www.fostercommunity.org

In this episode we interview the Vineyards. In the past 6.5 years Jon and Sarah Vineyard have fostered 7 children in Central Texas, adopted two and have legal custody of a third, along with their one biological child. You will hear their story from their first introduction to foster care, to becoming foster parents themselves, and the growth of their passion for advocating for foster youth.

Heart Gallery of Central Texas: www.heartgallerytexas.com

Foster Community: www.fostercommunity.org

Texas Adoption Resource Exchange (TARE):

https://tare.dfps.texas.gov/application/TAREPublic/logon

Department of Family and Protective Services: https://www.dfps.texas.gov/