Child Advocates Newsletter!

Jeffrey Bagley is a portfolio manager with The Haverford Trust Company who has been a member of our Finance Committee since 2012. He has more than 20 years of experience providing financial advice and investment management services to individual investors and several non-profit organizations and foundations.

Barbara Beckman joins us as an attorney with Ballard Spahr LLP. Barbara has served as a Volunteer Attorney, working with many of our clients since 1983.

Jim Robinson is a partner at Gordon & Rees, LLP. Jim has served as a Volunteer Attorney with us since 1998 and serves on Child Advocates Volunteer Committee.

Catherine "Kit" Rothenberger is from Kolsby, Gordon, Robin, Shore and Bezar, where she represents plaintiffs in personal injury and catastrophic medical negligence matters. She also has an extensive background in nursing, medicine and healthcare. She recently joined us as a Volunteer Attorney on her first case.

Rand Siegel, a First Vice President for First Niagara Private Client Services, has over 15 years of experience in financial services and serves on the Child Advocates Finance Committee and has helped us in fundraising by being involved with various event committees.

We look forward to what the year has to bring! We would also like to extend our thanks to our departing Board members for their dedicated service and advocacy.

9th Annual Child Advocates Classic

Mark your calendar and register today for the 9th Annual Child Advocates Classic! Bring clients and colleagues and try your luck (and skill) at one of the top five golf courses in Pennsylvania, Huntingdon Valley Country Club. Not a golfer? You are in luck! We have added tennis to this year's event. Enjoy spending time with friends and engaging in some friendly competition on Huntingdon Valley's beautiful clay tennis courts in a round robin tournament. In addition to adding tennis, we are changing the format of golf this year to scramble!

This expanded event provides your organization with more wonderful ways to make a difference in the life of a child.

Together, we can change the story!

All proceeds from this event will support Child Advocates Project for Medically Needy Children.

Register today by clicking HERE.

Check out video highlights below!

Center for Excellence in Advocacy training initiatives continue to provide child advocates and victim service providers with the critical information, tools, and resources they need to more effectively serve children and families involved in the court system. During the fiscal year ending on June 30, 2014, the CEA team provided 94 trainings to 2,154 individuals in 6 counties.

On June 26^th, the Center for Excellence in Advocacy partnered with representatives from Community Legal Services and Community Behavioral Health Services to offer a training for court-appointed attorneys on how to advocate for clients with behavioral health needs. This program was attended by 57 attorneys.

Mark Your Calendars for the Following Upcoming Trainings!

A "How To Handle A Child Abuse Case," Volunteer Training Workshop is scheduled for Wednesday, October 22nd from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at at the Pennsylvania Bar Institute CLE Conference Center at the Wanamaker Building, 10th Floor, Philadelphia. Registration details will soon be available on pbi.org.

The Center for Excellence in Advocacy has been selected to present their training "Vicarious Trauma and Attorney Burnout: Maintaining Effective Representation in the Midst of Client Crisis," at the Annual Public Interest Law Day. The event is scheduled for December 10, 2014 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at Pennsylvania Bar Institute CLE Conference Center.

Registration details will soon be available on pbi.org.

Meet the Staff: Naja Macon

Help us congratulate Naja Macon on her recent promotion to Social Work Supervisor! Naja joined our team as a Child Advocate Social Worker three years ago and has proven to be a leader among her peers, a reliable resource for our volunteer attorneys, and a strong advocate for her clients. She is definitely up to the challenge!

Working with children has always been Naja's passion. Before joining Child Advocates she worked at CATCH Inc, an organization that provides behavioral health and developmental disability services to the Philadelphia community. While there, Naja saw a wide range of issues, but was drawn to Child Advocates because it gave her the opportunity to provide support services for children. She believes that too often we focus on children as our future, but we need to pay attention to this vulnerable population as our "right now."

As Supervisor, Naja not only carries a caseload of clients, routinely attends court hearings and home visits, but she also provides directions and advice to the staff social workers. Her favorite part of the position is collaborating with the Social Work staff and supporting them in their efforts to effectively help children across the Philadelphia region.

Naja prides herself on being "Temple Made," having earned both her Bachelor's degree in Social Work and her MSW at Temple University. Outside the office, she enjoys reading and spending time with her nephew. Naja is also heavily involved in her church, teaching youth and mentoring young women.

Upcoming Events!

Monday, September 29th - 9th Annual Child Advocates Classic

Wednesday, October 22nd - "How to Handle a Child Abuse Case" Volunteer Training Workshop

Wednesday, December 10th - "Vicarious Trauma and Attorney Burnout" training

Saturday, December 20th - Toy Drive Delivery Day
Wednesday, April 15th - Annual Benefit Reception & Auction

Our Appreciation

Thank you for reading our monthly newsletter. Stay connected on a regular basis through our social media (just click any of the buttons below!) Like us, follow us, and feel free to direct any questions or feedback to Tracy Buchholz. Thanks again for helping us change the story!

-The Child Advocates Team