Oral History Project Aims to Record 1,000 Interviews by November

Orlando, Fla. (June 6, 2016) – For the next few months, Central Florida residents with ties to foster care – from children and families to caregivers and caseworkers – have a unique opportunity to share their stories with the world.

StoryCorps – a nonprofit oral history project – is seeking to record 1,000 foster care-related interviews between now and National Adoption Month in November.

To participate, begin by downloading the StoryCorps app, which includes detailed instructions and tips. At least two people must be part of the process – a subject and an interviewer – as the goal is to document unscripted conversations that reveal the wisdom, courage and poetry in the words of everyday Americans.

Conversations are archived at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., and a select few are edited for broadcast on National Public Radio’s “Morning Edition.” Others are available at www.StoryCorps.org or in podcast format.

The effort is being spearheaded by FosterMore, a coalition of nonprofits and foundations working to raise awareness of youth in foster care. Community Based Care of Central Florida, the region’s lead child welfare organization, is encouraging its foster and adoptive families to participate.

“What a wonderful way to share the personal, deeply moving experiences that come with making a difference in the life of a child,” said Glen Casel, CEO of Community Based Care of Central Florida. “There are so many uplifting stories out there, just waiting to be told.”

In addition to the app, StoryCorps also has recording booths in Atlanta, Chicago and San Francisco, as well as a mobile booth that travels to 10 cities across the country each year. Since 2003, StoryCorps has collected more than 60,000 interviews with people from all backgrounds, making it the largest single collection of human voices ever gathered.

About Community Based Care of Central Florida
As the leading nonprofit organization overseeing foster care, adoption and other child welfare services in Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties, Community Based Care of Central Florida serves more than 3,000 children and their families. For more information, visit wwwProtectAndInspire.org, “like” Community Based Care of Central Florida on Facebook at www.facebook.com/CBCCFL or follow it on Twitter at www.twitter.com/CBCCFL.