A Conversation with Emily Cole from Bananas Foster

Creating a Family: Talk about Adoption, Foster & Kinship Care

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.

Join us for a fun and inspiring conversation with Emily Cole, co-founder and co-owner of Banana Ball, the new sports phenomenon sweeping the country. We're talking with her about Bananas Foster, their non-profit that celebrates foster families all around the nation.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Please tell us the story of how Bananas Foster got started.
• What was happening in your life that made you say, “We need to do something for foster families”?
• What was the biggest challenge in getting things off the ground?
• For listeners who might not know you yet, what’s the mission of Bananas Foster?
• What are some of the biggest everyday needs you hear about from foster, kinship, or adoptive families?
• How do you see Bananas Foster stepping into those areas of need?
• What’s your big dream for Bananas Foster — say, five or ten years from now?
• You talk about celebrating and supporting foster families — can you share what that looks like at a typical Banana Ball game day?
• What kinds of local partnerships do you have in the cities you visit — with churches, agencies, schools, or other groups?
• Looking ahead, do you have a plan or goal for building on those partnerships or expanding the care you offer with them?
• The celebrations you host are such a bright spot! What do families tell you after those events — how do they feel when they leave?
• Is there a particular story, celebration, or family that has really stuck with you?
• How do you hope those celebrations will grow or change over the next few years?
• What’s one thing you’ve learned from the families you serve that’s changed you personally?
• For our listeners, how can people get involved or support what Bananas Foster is doing?

Support the show

Please leave us a rating or review. This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them.
Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content:

• Weekly podcasts
• Weekly articles/blog posts
• Resource pages on all aspects of family building

فصول

1. A Conversation with Emily Cole from Bananas Foster (00:00:00)

2. Please tell us the story of how Bananas Foster got started. What was happening in your life that made you say, “We need to do something for foster families”? (00:00:54)

3. What was the biggest challenge in getting things off the ground? (00:03:32)

4. For listeners who might not know you yet, what’s the mission of Bananas Foster? (00:05:00)

5. What are some of the biggest everyday needs you hear about from foster, kinship, or adoptive families? How do you see Bananas Foster stepping into those areas of need? (00:07:41)

6. You talk about celebrating and supporting foster families — can you share what that looks like at a typical Banana Ball game day? (00:12:21)

7. You talk about celebrating and supporting foster families — can you share what that looks like at a typical Banana Ball game day? (00:15:33)

8. Looking ahead, do you have a plan or goal for building on those partnerships or expanding the care you offer with them? (00:17:37)

9. The celebrations you host are such a bright spot! What do families tell you after those events — how do they feel when they leave? (00:22:15)

10. Is there a particular story, celebration, or family that has really stuck with you? (00:23:21)

11. How do you hope those celebrations will grow or change over the next few years? (00:24:36)

12. What’s one thing you’ve learned from the families you serve that’s changed you personally? (00:26:57)

13. For our listeners, how can people get involved or support what Bananas Foster is doing? (00:28:54)