Greg Alford ● Chris Arnold ● Carla Aubrey ● Janice Augustus ● Laura Banse ● Sid Blache ● Michelle Blasingame ● Rebekah Carwile ● Christina Cavalier ● Sherry Cherry ● Tina Clark ● Meredith Clinton ● Bonnie Cuellar ● Molly Cutler ● M'Liss Daigle ● Nicole Diaz ● Jennah Durant ● Vanita Easterling ● LaToya Edwards ● Barbara Emery ● Mary Beth Gober ● Doug Goldrick ● Patti Green ● Georgie Grossman ● Cecilia Grussendorf ● Valerie Hall ● Kristofer Heald ● Debra Howard ● Kelly Jarrell ● Amber Johnson ● Laura Kelsoe ● Deloris King ● Katherine Kirst ● Tiffany Kukura ● Angelina LaPenotiere ● Megan Loreto ● Cathy Lucas ● Vanessa McGill ● Tracy Nelson ● Julieth Oviawe ● Ana Perez ● Cherryl Peterman ● Mary Louise Phelps ● Aubree Raley ● Michelle Reap ● Linda Robertson ● Ileana Rojas ● Peter Rose ● Linda Rothermel ● Sarah Saktawi ● Julie Schwartz ● Estella Selvidge ● Lisa Sharp ● Jacquelyn Smith ● Carrie Stauffer ● Judy Teague ● Janel Tedesco ● Linda Wade ● Sharon Ward-Kinard ● Janette Weedon ● Kelly Williammee ● Erin Wood ● Bonnie Wulff ● Kori Wydman ● Phyllis Zidell 

 

On Sept. 15, Dallas CASA was privileged to participate in the third annual North Texas Giving Day, which raised more than $10.7 million for more than 600 area nonprofit agencies.

 

Despite the difficult economic conditions, the entire community came together to support a variety of causes. The $1 million in matching and prize funds provided by the Communities Foundation of Texas were multiplied more than nine times, helping to raise an additional $9.7 million in donations from North Texans. The $10.7 million total is twice the $5 million raised in 2010 and far surpasses the amount raised in the first two giving days combined.

 

"This year's results are an astounding new milestone," said Brent Christopher, president and CEO of Communities Foundation of Texas, which lead the one-day fundraising effort. "To have donated this year more than twice the total donated last year is a testament to North Texans' generous support for the vital work our nonprofits do. We are absolutely blown away by the people who donated."

 

Dallas CASA friends gave $139,045, including a dollar-for-dollar match contributed by an anonymous CASA supporter.  

 

"If you had told me three years ago that the Dallas community would literally stop and pivot towards fundraising for one whole day, I wouldn't have believed it," said Beverly Levy, Dallas CASA Executive Director. "That's exactly what has happened, and it's a remarkable and exciting accomplishment. What a remarkable day it was."  

  

Ivan was removed from his mother's care at birth because his mother tested positive for drugs. She also admitted to working as a prostitute to support her drug habit. Child Protective Services removed Ivan and placed him in a foster home. Ivan's mother admitted she did not think she would be able to care for her son and willingly relinquished her parental rights.

 

Elois Fisher and Camille Willis were appointed as Ivan's CASA volunteers.

 

From reading the case file, Elois and Camille learned that Ivan had two older sisters who had been sent to live with their maternal grandmother. The two volunteers developed a great rapport with Ivan's grandmother. They found her to be a dedicated caregiver who wanted the best for her grandchildren.

 

"We thought that the attorneys and CPS were pretty set on the foster home being the best permanent home for Ivan, so we were a little apprehensive about asking to appoint Ivan's grandmother as his caregiver," Elois said. "Our supervisor helped us see that we needed to speak up if we felt our solution was in this child's best interests. That's ultimately what we did."

 

Because of the persistence of Camille and Elois, Ivan was finally moved into his grandmother's home where he is able to grow up with his sisters and remain connected with his family.

 

"It was always clear to us that the best place for this child was with his family, and when we found out he had siblings there as well, that sealed the deal for us," Camille said. "He will always have this family connection."