The National CASA Association has just released a new CASA awareness and branding campaign called 'I Am for the Child.' The national goal is to create a movement to serve every child who needs a CASA volunteer by 2020. CASA is central to fulfilling society's most fundamental obligation by making sure a passionate, qualified adult will fight for and protect a child's right to be safe, to be treated with dignity and respect, and to learn and grow in the safe embrace of a loving family. These children need to not only survive, but to thrive. We can all be 'for the child' by lifting up a child's voice and life - as a CASA volunteer, donor, staff or board member, or supporter. This campaign will be a grass roots effort to further brand the CASA organization from the local level up to state and national levels.

Georgia CASA, along with other CASA programs from across the state and nation, will begin rolling out components of the campaign over the next several months, so be sure to look for the new campaign images and further branding, starting with this e-newsletter.   

Thank you for your support of CASA and being 'for the child'!    

Dillion's path to a forever home was a rough one, being in four foster homes and three therapeutic residential facilities (one of which included three internal moves) - all in all, 10 moves before finally being able to rest his head in his own bed three years later. During his stay in his last therapeutic home, Dillion told his CASA volunteer that he decided he "was tired of being lied to by my mother, so I want to find a family to love me!"

After being on numerous psychotropic medications, Dillion worked with his psychiatrist and all of his medicines were withdrawn by the time he was adopted. The only 'medicines' he needed were 80 acres of land to explore and 29 horses to help care for. In March of 2010, Dillion was moved into a foster-to-adopt home about 80 miles from his original home. He was with a family who operates an equine therapy program in the rolling hills of Western Georgia. Dillion was a 'born' cowboy, looking somewhat like Woody in Toy Story. Tall and lanky, with a calm smile and the desire to be of help, he transformed into a wonderful young man. He is now helping with the therapy program, to the amazement of some of the boys with whom he used to live. On August 1, 2011, Dillion proudly walked out of the courthouse to begin his life. His family will soon welcome another teenager (17 years) and a 5-year-old sister-to-be.

Dillion's CASA volunteer observed that the transition into 'family' was not always easy. Most often, children in foster care are completely unaware of family dynamics. Love and concern are often seen as intrusiveness and distrust. Dillion was reluctant to open his heart completely, but when he did, his future began to unfold. There are still minor transgressions, something he and his family work through daily, but with his compassionate heart, nothing is beyond his grasp!

Each year, the Volunteering in America report is released by the Corporation for National and Community Service. The report provides data and trends related to volunteer activity across the U.S., by region, by age and by category.

The 2010 report was released in August and as always, there are some new trends that we can see emerging. Basically, this data gives us a great look at those that make the world a better place - the volunteers.

Perhaps the most striking revelation is that Generation X (those born 1965 - 1981) is the only generation volunteering at a higher rate than in years past.

Why the uptick, when everyone else is slacking? The rise in Gen X service hours reflects the arc observed in the volunteer lifecycle, where individual involvement increases as they feel more connected to communities via home ownership, having children and more stable employment - the exact life stage many Gen Xers are currently in.

Here are some other interesting nuggets from the report:

--35% of volunteer activity between 2008 and 2010 was religious in nature - the largest chunk of the volunteering categories.

--Despite the fact that retiring Boomers were expected to join the world of volunteering en masse, the Baby Boomer volunteer rate is at its lowest since 2007.

--Only 8.1% of the population reported volunteering informally in 2010 (not affiliated with an organization). Logic suggests the actual number is much higher, if everyone thought about ways in which they contribute to their communities.

Adapted from VolunteerMatch e-newsletter, September 2011