Summary  
In our first episode, Juan welcomes Dr. Kimberly Offutt, author, speaker, and coach with more than 20 years’ experience championing children and families. Juan and Kim discuss growing up in a small town with a large family and how this experience can often change our definition of who we consider family. Kim tells her unique journey with foster care and adoption, including some of the most common myths about fostering and adopting teens. In the first (and maybe last) edition of a segment called “Yep, that just happened,” Juan and Kim exchange funny stories about their families and reflect on how family life can be challenging but always worth the investment. Kim offers practical advice for building community and championing families, specifically highlighting the needs of the 400,000 children in foster care today. 

About this episode's guest 
Dr. Kimberly Offutt is Bethany’s national director of family support and engagement. She earned her BA in child and family development at Georgia Southern University, an MSW in clinical social work at Michigan State University, and a doctorate in Christian education at Midwest Theological University. At Bethany, she’s served almost 20 years with roles in foster care, adoption, recruitment, and church engagement. Kim is an inspirational speaker, author, foster and adoptive mother, mentor to youth who’ve aged out of foster care, and coach to other foster and adoptive parents. She passionately brings her faith into broken places and hard conversations, leading to life-giving transformation in individuals, families, programs, and systems. 

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The Champions for Family podcast is hosted by Juan Fernandez and produced by Bethany Christian Services. Guests include authors, speakers, experts, advocates, and volunteers who share their stories of uplifting and empowering families. Learn more about becoming a champion for family at Bethany.org/Champion.

The Champions for Family podcast is presented by Just Love Coffee Café. Check them out at JustLoveCoffee.com

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