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Feature
Susan Gant, 2009 Karen N. Sibley CASA Volunteer of the Year in Georgia, accepts her award from Duaine Hathaway, Georgia CASA Executive Director, at the August 5th Forsyth County Board of Commissioners meeting. Susan, fluent in Spanish, has volunteered since 2001 with CASA of Forsyth County in Cumming. Congratulations, Susan! |
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Affiliate Program Highlights
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Congratulations to Coastal Plain CASA, serving Irwin, Tift, Turner and Worth counties, for winning $20,000 from Chase Community Giving through a contest on Facebook!
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- Mountain Circuit CASA took over operations of CASA of the Northern Judicial Circuit and changed its name to Northeast Georgia CASA.
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CASA of the Toombs Judicial Circuit is the newest affiliate program of Georgia CASA, serving Glascock, Lincoln, McDuffie, Taliaferro, Warren and Wilkes counties.
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Kids Count 2010
The Kids Count 2010 data book has recently been released by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. It includes national and state-by-state data and rankings on ten key indicators of child well-being. Unfortunately, Georgia has consistently ranked near the bottom of the states. The 2010 Georgia ranking was #42. You can get more information and access data from Kids Count 2010. |
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Georgia CASA Recent Events Wrap-up
Backpacks for CASA from the Office Depot Foundation - In August, the Office Depot Foundation, through a partnership with National CASA, donated 7,500 backpacks for foster children in Georgia. Affiliate CASA programs from across the state came to Atlanta to receive backpacks for distribution to the children they serve. A very special thank you goes to Chick-fil-A, Inc., for donating warehouse space and helping with loading when affiliate programs picked up their backpacks. View photos on our Facebook page!
 CASA Day at Atlanta Braves Game - On August 14, about 500 CASA volunteers, staff and board members, along with their families, took part in a CASA awareness day at the ball park. The day included a CASA exhibit booth, 50/50 raffle, patio reception with player Michael Dunn, CASA parade around the field, an on-field presentation to CASA for the State Farm Good Neighbor Award and airing of the CASA public service announcement featuring starting pitcher Tim Hudson. View more photos on our Facebook page!
Serving Up Love Benefit Events: Girls' Night Out & Tennis Classic - On September 8, about 70 people gathered for a night out with friends at Amuse! restaurant in Atlanta and enjoyed appetizers and a silent auction. On September 10, the first Georgia CASA Tennis Classic was held at Piedmont Driving Club in Atlanta with 27 female players in a round robin format tournament. Kim Nagy won in the AA/A class and Kathy Bird won in the B/C class. Runner-up winners were Karen Ruszkowski (AA/A) and Meredith Hatfield (B/C). Proceeds from both events benefitted Georgia CASA. A special thank you goes to Georgia CASA Board member Kathleen Carr, who was the lead organizer for both events. View photos from the events on our Facebook page! |
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2010 Awards of Excellence Winners
CASA of the Alapaha Judicial Circuit received the 2010 Emerging Program Award of Excellence from Georgia CASA. Located in South Georgia, the program began in November 2008 and has trained and retained 22 CASA volunteers who have served 36 children (as of the nomination date). The program serves the state's two counties - Berrien and Lanier - that have the highest percentage rates for child abuse and neglect. The program has established great working relationships with both the Department of Family and Children Services (DFCS) and the courts.
CASA of the Appalachian Judicial Circuit received the 2010 Established Program Award of Excellence. The program began in 1993 and has been under the Appalachian Juvenile Court since 1997, the same year Dianne Scoggins began as director. The program has a strong presence in the three counties in North Georgia it serves (Gilmer, Fannin and Pickens), has been instrumental in developing child welfare protocals for the Circuit and has outstanding relationships with stakeholders in the court system. The program serves as a model program for others.
Cobb County CASA received the 2010 Innovative Program Award of Excellence. The program began in 1991 and has been innovative in securing funding to help guarantee its financial stability, allowing for additional staff to recruit, train and supervise more CASA volunteers to serve more children. The program also has a new executive committee to spearhead fundraising and awareness events for the future. The program is very involved with other child welfare organizations in Cobb County and has great relationships with various court stakeholders. |
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Raise Me Up Campaign in Georgia
Georgia CASA, along with about ten other Atlanta-based charitable organizations, the Georgia Department of Human Services and Casey Family Programs, participated in the Raise Me Up multimedia campaign in late 2009. The campaign was designed to raise awareness, create dialogue in communities and inspire citizens to take action on behalf of children and youth in Georgia's foster care system. Georgia CASA found the collaborative campaign to be very worthwhile and has received, to date, about 100 inquiries as a result. (The campaign's web site will remain active.) The campaign was clearly effective in raising the public's awareness about foster care and encouraging people to take action. |
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2011 Georgia CASA Leadership Academy
Georgia CASA is pleased to announce the 2011 Leadership Academy, developed and delivered by Dale Carnegie Training. The purpose of the Academy is to increase the overall effectiveness of the CASA affiliate network through enhancing the leadership skills of current leaders of affiliate CASA programs. The Academy included a kick-off reception and orientation on September 15 for the 20 affiliate program directors who were selected. Over the next six months, participants will attend three full day training workshops, have a 360 degree leadership assessment, an individual leadership project and presentation, and one-on-one and peer coaching. A graduation ceremony for the Academy's participants willl be held in February. View the Notes tab on our Facebook page for a list of the selected participants. |
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Fostering Futures
As part of a pilot program with The National CASA Association and funded by The Walmart Foundation, Georgia CASA was one of sixteen sites selected for the Fostering Futures training. The program provides specialized training to CASA volunteers who serve older youth to help them transition more successfully to adulthood and live independently. The training also includes additional support services to affiliate programs serving older youth. Georgia CASA has held four Fostering Futures trainings, and will hold a make-up training before the end of the year to conclude the pilot program. |
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Georgia Court Appointed Special Advocates, Inc. (Georgia CASA) develops and supports court-sanctioned, community-based programs that provide trained and supervised volunteers to advocate for the best interests of abused and neglected children involved in juvenile court deprivation proceedings. Currently, 48 affiliate programs throughout the state serve 135 counties. Last year, over 8,700 children were served by 2,000 CASA volunteers.
404.874.2888 or 800.251.4012
A Member of The National CASA Association
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