Twelve, Tenacious & Triumphant: How Autumn Scored a Hole in One through Foster Care

12-year-old junior golfer Autumn and her adoptive father, Donnie, share their journey from foster care to adoption. Golf became a life-changing outlet for Autumn, helping her build confidence, mental resilience, and a positive outlook. With resilience, hope, and the transformative power of family and sports, they reflect on the challenges and joys of fostering, while offering encouragement to others considering adoption or foster care. “When I was in foster care, I knew there would be better days; getting adopted was by far the best day in the world. There are kids waiting for a foster home or waiting to get adopted, and people should want to help.” – Autumn “Don’t let your fear stop you from asking questions about foster care; that’s what led us to having the most amazing daughter in the world. There are kids like Autumn who are amazing and just need love to thrive; they were born to soar. Maybe they’re waiting for you.” – Donnie  What You’ll Learn in This Episode: The emotional journey of transitioning from foster care to adoption Autumn’s inspiring perspective on adoption and resilience How discovering golf transformed her life and confidence Life lessons learned from sports, competition, and perseverance Practical advice for prospective foster and adoptive parents Encouragement for youth currently in foster care The importance of advocacy, storytelling, and breaking stigmas in foster care  Timestamps:00:00 – Introduction and purpose of the podcast 00:27 – Meet Donnie and Autumn 00:46 – Autumn’s first day with her adoptive family 03:12 – Transition from foster care to adoption 05:04 – Autumn’s perspective on adoption 06:34 – Autumn’s joyful outlook and early life 09:24 – Choosing joy despite challenges 10:27 – Discovering golf & sports 12:34 – Becoming a top junior golfer 13:46 – Lessons learned from adoption 15:05 – Fears and hopes in fostering/adoption 17:12 – PSA: Foster care in NC 17:32 – Autumn’s charity golf tournament 19:33 – Life lessons from golf 25:11 – Staying positive through adversity 26:52 – Advice for children in foster care 28:21 – Advice for prospective foster/adoptive parents 31:56 – Raising awareness for adoption 33:02 – Sharing her story publicly 36:33 – Breaking stigmas and final thoughts 37:47 – Closing remarksEpisode Resources: Catch up on previous episodes of In Real Life: Foster Care Unfiltered here: https://chsnc.org/about/podcast/ For more information about Children’s Home Society of North Carolina, visit: chsnc.org To be a guest on the podcast, email: [email protected] To learn more about foster care, visit: https://chsnc.org/adoption-and-foster-care/get-started/ Let’s be friends! Follow us on social media:  Facebook: @chsnorthcarolina  Instagram: @chs_nc LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/chs-nc YouTube: @chsnc