 
CASA e-News
www.alaskacasa.org |
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A Powerful Voice in a Child's Life® |
January 2009 |
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Greetings!
Happy 2009! Due to some technical difficulties and other circumstances, we are a bit late in sending this edition of the CASA e-News. Please accept our apologies for the delay, and our belated wishes that your holidays were joyful.
We'd like to express our sincere gratitude to all of our wonderful volunteer advocates and supporters for giving your time, your talent, and your financial resources to support Alaska CASA. Your involvement makes it possible for us to provide quality advocacy services for abused and neglected children in Alaska, and to reach our goal of ensuring that every child and youth has a safe permanent home. We look forward to continuing to work together on behalf of children and youth in 2009.
The Staff of Alaska CASA/Office of Public Advocacy |
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 Friends of Alaska CASA
New Name, New Direction
CASAs
for Children recently announced a name change: we are now Friends of Alaska
CASA. The new name better describes the close relationship between our
non-profit organization and the CASA programs we support. The
change also represents a return to the past; long-time supporters may remember
that back in 1991, the original name of the organization was Friends of CASA.
The name change also better reflects our renewed mission. We have made much
progress in the last four months. FAC Board and new program coordinator Ryan
Zinn have been busy developing new tools, including a web site, to help us
stay in touch with those supporters who want to help us meet the goal of
providing a CASA volunteer for every child who needs one in Alaska.
Please Visit Our New Website: www.friendsofalaskacasa.org
Join our eNewsletter and stay up to date on the many new and exciting Friends of Alaska CASA
activities and opportunities.
2008 Quilt Auction a Success
Friends of Alaska CASA held its 13th Annual Silent Quilt Auction on Saturday,
November 22, 2008, at the ConocoPhillips Atrium. In addition to viewing and
bidding on the 171 beautiful quilts donated by 105 quilters, the crowd enjoyed
the lively music provided by the musical groups Asteroids and Sally's Kitchen.
The quilt auction raised over $27,000 to support FAC's work. Our heartfelt
thanks go to all the quilt donors, the auction helpers, and the members of our
community who attended this event.
FAC Awarded $10,000 Grant from Wal-Mart
Friends of Alaska CASA received a generous $10,000 grant from the Wal-Mart
Foundation. Wal-Mart's grant will allow FAC to expand our statewide efforts to
recruit new CASA volunteers. Thank you Wal-Mart!
Ryan Zinn, Coordinator
Friends of Alaska CASA
ryan@friendsofalaskacasa.org |
 News From Around the State
Anchorage
A
special thanks to all the CASAs that so generously give of their time and
energy. We are so fortunate to have
outstanding CASAs that are willing to advocate for youth and also volunteer to
support the CASA program in other ways.
It is your generosity that keeps the CASA program going strong.
January
2009 CASA Core Training
In
January 2009, Anchorage will be offering a CASA core training. Please
spread the word, or better yet, bring a friend to one of the
information meetings: Tuesday, January 6, 2009, Noon to 1 pm at BP Energy Center, 900 E. Benson; Thursday, January 8, six to seven
pm at Catholic Social Services, 3710 E. 20th Ave.; and Friday,
January 9, Noon to 1 pm at BP Energy Center, 900 E. Benson.The training dates are:
Tuesday, 1/13, 6:00 to 9:30 pm
Saturday, 1/17, 9:00 to 4:30 pm
Tuesday, 1/20, 6:00 to 9:30
Saturday, 1/24, 9:00 to 6:00
Tuesday, 1/27, 6:00 to 9:00
Saturday, 1/31, 9:00 to 6:00
Tuesday, 2/3, 6:00 to 9:00
If you have any
questions call June Haisten, Anchorage CASA Program Coordinator at 269-3510.On December 2nd
the Anchorage CASA program provided the last training opportunity for
2008. A special thanks to Marsha Tandeske, an OPA guardian ad litem, for
presenting an interesting and informative PowerPoint presentation on how
to write a disposition report. We also appreciate the input from
the experienced CASAs about writing reports. As you know writing a
disposition report can be challenging, however it is an integral part in
providing advocacy for Alaska's children.CASA Kudos
Jesse Smith is assigned to a case involving a
seventeen year old young man whose mother passed away recently. Jesse took time
out of a busy weekend to spend a Saturday with this young man to help him
enjoy himself and take his mind off his mother for a short time. Jesse also
helped the family make the necessary arrangements regarding the mother's
passing. Thanks for your compassion, Jesse.
Joanie Cleary spent the day helping out
with the CASA quilt auction.Carol
and Peter Irsfeld, Anchorage CASAs and Mariann Malone, a Valley CASA staffed
the CASA booth at the Child Maltreatment Conference in November 2008. We were able to sell CASA merchandise and
raffle tickets for the CASA quilt auction.
Kerry Boness donated a
nightstand and a BEAUTIFUL dresser to a mom who is dealing with a heroin
addiction. The mother has a new apartment and her baby was recently reunified
with her. The nice furniture was a wonderful holiday boost in the mother's
efforts to make a home for her family
-June Haisten
Fairbanks After four years, program coordinator Jane Atkinson made the difficult decision to leave the CASA program. Jane was recently named the executive director of the Resource Center for Parents and Children in Fairbanks, and we wish her great success in her new position. Thank you, Jane, for your years of service to the CASA program; we will miss you! We hope to be able to announce the new program coordinator very soon. Stay tuned!
Juneau
We are rounding that corner into the
holiday season and I can really feel the pace picking up. We had a
wonderful gathering with the CASA volunteers at Janine's house this September
and are planning another informal gathering at a local restaurant this
month.
We
have set our training for February and are trying some fun new recruitment
ideas. We have asked all of our male
volunteers to bring two guys to an informal gathering to eat pizza and popcorn
and talk about CASA. Bullwinkle's Pizza is donating the space and
the pizza. We are also going to run a
series of articles in the Neighbors section of our paper featuring a husband
and wife team and some of our other volunteers
We want to highlight some different options in volunteering for the
program. Kay Wallis is putting effort
into recruiting Native volunteers. We
hope to really increase the public awareness of CASA
in Juneau by these efforts.
Juneau
is also gearing up for Gallery Walk. This
is an annual event where local galleries feature artists and the whole town
strolls the streets of downtown Juneau, drinking cider, eating treats that the
stores hand out and taking in all of the holiday cheer. There is also a tree decorating competition
between the stores and the winner of the competition donates to a local
non-profit. Skeins, a local yarn store
has chosen the Juneau CASA program
and will be displaying CASA
information with the tree. We are very
excited to get this kind of exposure in Juneau.
CASA Kudos
I always get to this section and have a
difficult time singling people out. It seems like every day, the
volunteers make efforts that go above and beyond. D Owens
continues to demonstrate amazing diplomacy skills in working with teenagers and
community members in Haines. Laura Haywood is my FAC board member
extraordinaire. Without her help, my job would be three times as
challenging. Fred Morino makes things happen. I can't
give him higher praise. My gratitude to all of the Juneau volunteers.
Happy Holidays!
-Lynn Squires-White
Valley  WE HAVE AN OUTREACH COORDINATOR!!! The Valley CASA
Program is extremely pleased to welcome Jamey Duhamel to our team. This new half time position was created with
funds provided by a program expansion grant award from the National CASA Organization.
Jamey's primary duties will center around recruiting and training new CASA volunteers and increasing the number of
children served in the Valley CASA
Program. She has extensive work
experience in child advocacy and working with the many community service
organizations in the Valley. And here is
the best part-- she is also a CASA!! Please join me in welcoming Jamey! She can be reached at jamey.duhamel@alaska.gov. New Core Training Class Starts January 15th
Spread the word! The next core training classfor the Valley CASA program begins January 15th. Better yet, bring a friend or two to the information meeting January 5th. For more information contact Jamey Duhamel 775-2978.  Valley
CASAs Redecorate The Valley CASA
program recently volunteered time, materials, artistic talent and experience to
re-decorate the family visitation room at the Office of Children's Services
(OCS) in Wasilla. A proposal was
submitted to the regional manager at OCS, outlining a plan to create a visually
positive and family friendly room for children in protective custody to visit
with their parents. The plan was
enthusiastically accepted and the CASAs
went to work! The result is both
welcoming and fun - lots of interactive toys, books, posters, etc. Thank you to
CASA Marian Charles for organizing
this wonderful collaborative project!
2009
Valley Light of Hope is on!!! Yes,
mark your calendars for April 5, 2009!
This is the date for the Mat-Su Valley's 2009 Light of Hope. Lots of work to do of course - committee
organization, fundraising, advertising, door prizes. sponsorships for
children's activities, community nominations, judging panel for Light of Hope
awards, food, etc. If you are interested
in helping out and joining this years' Valley LOH team please contact Christie
Wilkins at our office at 746-0571.
-Cecily Skoog-Moore
Native Outreach Initiative
We have the opportunity to increase the number of
Alaska Native CASA volunteers (22) to advocate for our 1,331children/young
people in protective custody. We want 18 new Native CASAs statewide in the next
few months. There will be free CASA classes that begin in January in Anchorage
and in February in Juneau. Please join us in advocating for our Tribal members.
Your Native advocacy can help our children in-care maintain strong connections
with their families, cultures and communities in order to grow healthy and culturally
proud Native adults.
In Anchorage there is a CASA class that starts
January 13, 2009. The required (about 45 minutes) informational meeting to
inform about the Alaska CASA Program and to answer your questions is January 6th, 8th and 9th. Please check our web site for the informational meeting
location, times and class schedule. If you don't have access to a computer,
please call Kay at 269-3522. For those with computer access, Kay's email is kay.wallis@alaska.gov.
There will also be a CASA class offered in
Juneau. The required (about 45 minutes) CASA informational dates are set for
January 5th, 8th and 12th. The Juneau class starts February 5th. For the Juneau
informational meeting location, times and class schedule please check the CASA web site.
-Kay Wallis
Native CASA Council members: Sam Strange, Panu Lucier, James LaBelle Jr., Kay Wallis, Sylvia Berg, Hilda Haas
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New Federal Child Welfare Legislation
On October 7, 2008, President Bush signed into
law the bipartisan Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions
Act. The Act is intended to improve
outcomes for children and families involved in the child welfare system. Some of the major provisions of the Act
include:
- option
of extending foster care to age 21
- federal
subsidies for guardianships with relatives
- increased
adoption incentives
- direct
access to federal funds by Tribes
- requirements
to keep siblings together or provide for frequent contact
- requirements
to ensure educational stability for youth
- funding
for training for judges, attorneys, GALs and CASAs
Some of the provisions of this federal Act
are optional for Alaska; some will automatically be applicable; and some will
require changes in Alaska's state plan and/or state statutes. We'll keep you posted as these changes occur.
The
following resources, developed collaboratively by the Children's Defense Fund
and the Center for Law and Social Policy, detail the provisions of this important
legislation.
Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoption Act Will Improve Outcomes for Children and Youth in Foster Care (2 page summary)
Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act (H.R.6893) Summary
(detailed summary)
- Barb Malchick
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 Facing Foster Care in Alaska
Facing Foster Care in Alaska (FFCA) celebrated their largest retreat
to date in November, with 32 members attending from across the state. During
the retreat youth and alumni discussed the issues regarding mental health
services, and brainstormed alternatives to traditional treatment settings. Some
of the ideas include mentorships with a caring adult, being actively involved
with school events such as sports, community involvement through various
activities, and being given the opportunity to, "just be normal." FFCA
has also continued to promote their policy agenda (Read the entire policy agenda) in hopes to make improvements
for children and youth in foster care. Three members of FFCA testified at the Foster
Care Legislative summit on November 14th to bring real life
experience to the alumni studies presented by Peter Pecora of Casey Family
Programs and Amanda Metivier, FFCA President. One youth coined the term, "Foster
Homeless," to explain what it felt like to be homeless while in states
custody due to a lack of foster homes. Other presentations at the Summit
included Tribal Child Welfare, the OCS Child and Family Services results, Independent
Living Services for older youth, and information on the Fostering Connections
to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act.
The next FFCA retreat is set for February 13th-15th at the Holy Spirit Retreat Center 10980 Hillside Drive.
If you know of a youth or alumni who may be interested in attending please
contact Amanda Metivier at 230-8237, or email facing_fostercare@yahoo.com. The
retreats are filling up fast so please make referrals early
- Amanda Metivier
Editor's Note:
FFCA Member Angel Adams 'Art Featured on Connection Magazine Cover! Read her story.
National CASA is looking for artists to illustrate the cover of The Connection magazine. An honorarium of $250 will be provided to the youth whose work is selected. For more information or to nominate a young artist, please email Michael Skinner Mendelow, managing editor, at michaelm@nationalcasa.org.
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From the Bench of... Master William Hitchcock
Achieving Educational Success for Foster Children
It is hard to
pick up a newspaper or a magazine these days without reading about the plight
of public education in America. Nowhere
has that been more highly profiled in the recent past than in Alaska. The statistics are discouraging. In the recent Kids Count Alaska 2006-2007 data book, we find that only about 2/3rds of Alaska's high school students
graduate compared with 3/4ths nationally.
The graduation rate for minority students is even more abysmal: in 2006 only 45% of Alaska Native students
graduated compared to 68% of White students.
Even more concerning are the low numbers that go on to some form of
post-secondary education.
Achieving
educational success is even more challenging for children and youth in foster
care. Recent efforts through Casey
Family Programs have put a spotlight on this reality, and a group of us have
been working to enhance educational performance for this population. What we have to recognize, however, is that
the problem of educational failure really begins before children enter
kindergarten or first grade. Our lack,
both locally and nationally, of quality pre-school programs for very young
children is a major contributor to the plight these statistics portray.
I urge CASAs and
GALs to really focus on the issues of education and pre-school learning in the
work you do to advocate for children and youth.
We may not be able to overhaul the system as a whole but we can make a difference
in the lives of individual children who come before us. Judges want to hear what is going on in this
arena, and we urge you to keep us informed and to make these matters a high
priority for all children and youth in our system.
Practice
Tips
What a CASA volunteer can do -
- Be
prepared to report to the judge about the child's educational progress: grades,
attendance, special educations services, etc.
- Learn
more about educational advocacy by completing the National CASA E-Learning
series on this topic. Ask your CASA program coordinator how to sign up.
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| Resources for Child Advocates
National CASA Resources -
The newest e-learning series, Aging Out: Supporting Youth Transitions into Adulthood, is now available. If you would like to complete this online continuing education opportunity, please contact your local CASA program coordinator for details. (Note: the e-learning series on educational advocacy is also still available.)
The Connection quarterly magazine is designed to keep CASA programs, members and the public abreast of the latest news and developments affecting CASA's work with abused and neglected children. The current issue focuses on reunification. Read it online. CASA volunteers can subscribe for free. The cover artwork on the current issue is by Facing Foster Care in Alaska member Angel Adams. Congratulations Angel!
 Subscription is FREE for anyone interested. Past issues are archived online. Click on the logo above to check it out.
Friends
of Alaska CASA Resources Friends
of Alaska CASA (FAC) has a number of resources available for CASA
volunteers and the children and youth they represent. Does your CASA child need
a camp experience, tutoring, or special equipment? Make a funding request from
FAC. Do you need to make long distance calls to parties on your case? Request a
phone card from your CASA program coordinator, courtesy of FAC. Want to attend
a training opportunity, but can't pay the registration fee? FAC has scholarship
money available. These resources are limited, so get your request in right
away. Visit the FAC page of our website for details and
forms.
Internet Resources- - Online self study courses are available through the Alaska Center for Resource Families web site. (Note: be sure to check with your CASA program coordinator before completing a self study course to ensure you can receive continuing education credit for your chosen course)
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 National CASA News
A Message from CEO Michael Piraino  In this season more than any other, no matter how
bad things may have been at home, youth who have been removed from the
care of their families long for home. I am certain that if every man,
woman and child in this country understood the full range and depth of
what these children endure-and what CASA volunteers uniquely do to ease
their burden and point them forward-every heart would melt. The call
would go out, the money would pour in, and soon every foster child
would have a CASA volunteer standing by his or her side.
That would be a season of joy. Forgotten Children Campaign The goal of the Forgotten Children Campaign is to increase the number of children served by CASA volunteers, because every child deserves the support and advocacy that CASA volunteers provide. With this campaign, National CASA will raise $3 million to fund outreach and expansion efforts that will put a caring adult in the lives of a total of 300,000 children. Read more about the campaign.
Powerful Voice
The Powerful Voice newsletter provides the latest news from National CASA. Read the Winter issue. | |
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