CFE Coach Maria McCord Joins Picture Me Podcast
Texas CASA’s own Collaborative Family Engagement Coach Maria McCord joined Heart Gallery of Central Texas‘ new podcast, Picture Me, to share how her own personal experience in foster care and having a CASA volunteer shapes her work today.
“Relationships that the children have while they’re in foster care are so important to them while they’re experiencing such a difficult time in their lives. Those relationships need to be honored and given a seat at the table especially if we’re making decisions for children who are in foster care,” said Maria.
Maria came from a family of 10, entered foster care when she was 13 years old, and aged out of the system at 18. She was placed in a different part of her city and didn’t see her siblings or parents for years. Eventually, she was given a CASA volunteer. That volunteer was the first person to read Maria her rights when she thought she had none. We’re so grateful that Maria chose to use her past and experience in foster care to make a positive difference in the lives of Texas children and families.
“Continue to ask: Who is missing? Who am I missing? Who loves you? Who do you love that I need to call upon to come and be that support system for you? If we reframe the way that we ask the questions, then we’ll get a different answer. A lot of times, kids who are in foster care, they’re asked and interviewed over and over and over. But I can tell you that when I experienced foster care, nobody asked me — who do I love and who loves me,” Maria tells host Jon Vineyard.
About Picture Me
Picture Me is a podcast from the Heart Gallery of Central Texas that amplifies voices across the world of child welfare. Hosted by Jon Vineyard, each episode features stories and perspectives from those who live and work within the foster care and adoption community — professionals, foster and adoptive parents, state partners, and adults and youth with lived experience. Whether you’re considering fostering, adopting, or simply want to better understand the system and the lives it touches, Picture Me offers real conversations and heartfelt stories from the world of child welfare.
