Fostering Change Podcast | Episode 280 | 3 Foster Care Advocates Come Together To Raise Awareness

On this episode of Fostering Change, Rob Scheer is joined by leaders and advocates working directly with young people transitioning out of foster care: Sarah Baumgartner of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Brian Robinson of Kids’ Voice of Indiana, and Princess Martinez Casanova, a foster youth leader and member of the Youth Impact Board at Kids’ Voice.

For Comfort Cases, partnerships have always been central to the mission. The organization’s first corporate Packing Parties began in Indiana with Elevance Health and Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in 2008. Since then, Anthem has remained a longstanding partner, demonstrating an ongoing commitment to corporate responsibility and to supporting children and youth experiencing foster care.

Today, that commitment continues through collaboration with Kids’ Voice of Indiana, working together to raise the voice of youth transitioning out of foster care by creating resources, providing transition support, and expanding opportunities for education and career advancement.

As Foster Care Awareness Month approaches in May, this conversation highlights the importance of recognizing the needs of young people preparing to age out of the system — and the role partnerships play in helping them build strong, independent futures.

About the Guests

Sarah Baumgartner is the Older Youth Case Manager on the Foster Care Team at Anthem Indiana Behavioral Health Services. She brings more than 20 years of experience in mental health, including residential treatment, school-based counseling, and private practice. Her work focuses on supporting older youth as they transition from foster care to adulthood.

Brian Robinson is the Director of Older Youth Initiatives for Kids’ Voice of Indiana. With more than 25 years of experience working with children and families, including serving as a Guardian ad Litem since the early 1990s, he centers his work on preparing older youth in foster care for independence.

Princess Martinez Casanova is a bilingual education advocate, foster youth leader, and member of the Youth Impact Board at Kids’ Voice of Indiana. After immigrating from Mexico as a teenager and entering foster care at fourteen, she is now attending DePauw University on a full scholarship, studying Education Studies and Spanish, and advocating for foster youth and immigrant communities.

Connect & Learn More

Kids’ Voice of Indiana: https://kidsvoicein.org/

Facebook: @AnthemMedicaid

Instagram: @anthembcbs

X (Twitter): @AnthemBCBS

LinkedIn: Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield – Medicaid Health Plans

To find out more about Comfort Cases, please visit our website: www.comfortcases.org.

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To listen to previous episodes of Fostering Change, please visit: www.comfortcases.org/podcast or your favorite podcast outlets.

📩 Have thoughts or questions? Reach out at fosteringchange@comfortcases.org —we’d love to hear from you!