From Foster Care to Community: Carmela’s Story of Connection & Confidence

In this heartwarming episode of the Shining Brighter Podcast, hosts Jared Braun and Kelly Clark sit down with Carmela, a long-time member of the Fort St. John Association for Community Living. Carmela shares her journey from foster care to finding stability, friendship, and belonging through home share, community connections, and meaningful work.She talks about her job at Urban Systems, her love for walking and diamond art, her travels to Paris, the Philippines, and Cancun, and her dreams of becoming a massage therapist. Carmela also offers honest reflections on challenges like staff turnover, and she shares heartfelt advice on staying calm, having fun, and remembering happiness.Episode Highlights:Carmela’s transition from foster care to a loving home share familyHow she built friendships and confidence through ACL programmingSix years working at Urban Systems and what she loves about her jobWhy diamond art became a calming, community-building activityTraveling the world with friends and her home share familyHonest conversations about independence, staff turnover, and advocacyCarmela’s hopes for more community involvement and creative classesHer simple, powerful advice for life: stay calm, have fun, be happyTune in for a warm, uplifting conversation about community, resilience, and what it means to feel truly at home.Subscribe to the Shining Brighter Podcast for more real stories of inclusion, empowerment, and lived experience from the Fort St. John Association for Community Living.