CASA Voice Header no 30 years

SOMEONE THEY COULD COUNT ON

 

Big brother Oliver and twins Matthew and Megan's home was an uninhabitable mess when the three children were removed from their mother's care. Their mother Jenny was a frequent drug user spurred on by a mental illness and could not care for her children, all of whom were younger than three. A neighbor called Child Protective Services after seeing the children wandering around outside by themselves, their mother nowhere to be found. When a CPS worker investigated, she discovered a filthy home and the children unfed and in need of clean clothes and diapers. CPS sent them to live with their grandmother, and Jan was appointed as their CASA volunteer. 

 

Once the children were in protective care, the court offered Jenny treatment and counseling for her drug addiction, parenting classes and help for her underlying mental illness. She received help finding a new apartment. Because Jenny had done what was required of her, CPS agreed to return the children to her home on a supervised basis, hoping the court's involvement had served as a wake-up call for this mother. Jan stayed in touch with the family and made visits to ensure the children were being cared for during the transition to live with their mother. Sadly, Jan learned that Jenny had slipped into old habits, and the young children were frequently left to fend for themselves for hours at a time, not knowing where their mother was. CPS again removed the children from their home and sent them to live with their grandmother who had been the one stable presence in their young lives. They are now thriving in her care and receiving constant love and attention.  

 

IMPROVING FOSTER YOUTH EDUCATIONAL OUTCOMES

National CASA CEO Michael Piraino recently wrote about the importance of educational advocacy for foster youth. His article offers great insight into the critical role of volunteers in ensuring foster youth receive the support they need to succeed in school and have the best chance for a brighter future:

"For many children, back-to-school season is a time of new opportunities: schedules to figure out, new teachers to get to know, friends to be made. Last week a neighbor of mine proudly showed off a photograph of our neighborhood children waiting with lots of smiles for the bus to pick them up.

"There's a group of young people who might experience the start of school with more mixed emotions. Their route to educational success is more challenging. They are foster youth. Children who, through no fault of their own, cannot live safely at home. And who all too often do not have the consistent, caring adult presence that can see them through a transition like the start of school."


 Click here to continue reading. 

WELLS FARGO GIFT HONORS EMPLOYEE FOR CASA VOLUNTEER WORK

Camille Evans is a Wells Fargo employee and former Dallas CASA volunteer who recently received a volunteer recognition award from her company which led to a $1,000 gift to the charity of her choice. Camille chose to direct her employer's gift to Dallas CASA.    

 

As a volunteer, Camille knew firsthand the impact of CASA upon the lives on abused and neglected children. Many corporations have similar corporate giving programs to support their employees philanthropic efforts. If your corporation would like to get involved in employee giving programs, please contact Sharon Balaban or click here to learn about Corporate and Organization Giving. 

FIREFIGHTER A HERO FOR FOSTER YOUTH WITH PLAYHOUSE GIFT
Dallas firefighter James Romero donated the playhouse he won to a foster home.

James Romero is a Dallas firefighter who first learned about Dallas CASA when a friend who is a CASA volunteer told him about a family on her CASA case. The family needed a bed to care for a relative's child who would be placed in their home. James volunteered to purchase a twin bed for the child. From there, he was hooked.

    

During Parade of Playhouses, James purchased a dozen raffle tickets for the chance to win the Firehouse for Heroes provided by Scott Armstrong, WRA Architects and Crossland Construction for AIA Dallas. When this local hero won the playhouse, he chose to donate it to a foster home.

 

Because of his gift, four children who have known the uncertainty of foster care now have a fun and imaginative place to play. Thank you James for your generous gift and for supporting abused children.

CELEBRATING 20 YEARS
Terri 20 years
Terri Fleischer, Program Associate, has been with Dallas CASA since 1992.

Program Associate Terri Fleischer celebrated her 20th anniversary with Dallas CASA this month. Terri has been with CASA since 1992.  

 

Terri has read every case file to come into this office over the past 20 years. One of Terri's most impressive gifts is that she never seems to forget a thing. Everyone in this office has stories of utilizing her sharp-as-a-tack memory.  

 

Terri also served as a volunteer advocate for 13 CASA children during nine of her 20 years with Dallas CASA. Because of Terri's commitment to CASA children, many have been reunited with siblings who were previously removed from their homes or have remained connected with family. 

IN THIS ISSUE
Someone They Could Count On
Improving Foster Youth Educational Outcomes
Wells Fargo Gift Honors Employee for CASA Volunteer Work
Firefighter a Hero for Foster Youth with Playhouse Gift
Celebrating 20 Years
GIVING DAY RESULTS

More than 200 of our friends and supporters helped abused and neglected children by supporting Dallas CASA on North Texas Giving Day, Sept. 13.  

Because so many of our wonderful friends gave this year, Dallas CASA raised more than $56,000 and were ranked no. 23 overall for the highest number of individual donations.  

Thank you for supporting abused children!

GIVE WHILE YOU SHOP

Do you shop at Tom Thumb? Dallas CASA is a registered Tom Thumb Good Neighbor Program charitable organization. The next time you're at Tom Thumb, sign up for a reward card and link your card to our account, Good Neighbor number 649. Tom Thumb will contribute a percentage of your grocery bill to Dallas CASA, so be sure to use your reward card every time you shop. Click here to learn more about Tom Thumb's Good Neighbor Program. 

VOLUNTEER HOURS

21,436 volunteer hours advocating for children in court so far this year! 

VOLUNTEER TIP

The Texas CASA Conference is coming up in October. The conference will be held at the Embassy Suites Hotel, Convention Center and Spa in Frisco. Come for a day or stay the weekend. Click here to learn more and to register for three days of non-stop learning about how to help abused children. 

About Dallas CASA

When kids can't speak for themselves, CASA can.  

Dallas CASA is a nonprofit organization of community volunteers who serve as voices in court for abused and neglected children. CASA volunteers are trained and supervised to advocate for the best interests of abused children in protective care and to make recommendations that help judges decide what is best for each child. A CASA volunteer is often the one constant during a frightening, uncertain time in a child's life.

Sadly, Dallas CASA can only serve two out of five children who need CASA volunteers. You can help. A child is waiting for your voice.
 
To learn more about helping abused children, visit dallascasa.org.

CASA and Court Appointed Special Advocates are registered trademarks of the National CASA Association.