CASA Connection

041. Compassionate Advocacy

How can we continue to embark on compassionate advocacy within our CASA program and beyond? Tracey and Jeff talk about what compassionate advocacy means in this episode. They discuss how having the compassionate foundations within our staff and CASA volunteers have laid the foundation to truly help those who are vulnerable in our community. It's a core and common belief for our CASA program, and we dove into it during this discussion.

040. Human Trafficking Awareness

Every year, we recognize National Human Trafficking Awareness Month in January. On this episode, Gina Cavallo from the New Jersey Coalition Against Human Trafficking and also author of the book "A Survivor's Secrets" joined us for a dive into this issue. How do youth in our communities get involved in human trafficking? What are some signs for us to look for? How can we do better when it comes to human trafficking? All of this and much more within this discussion.

039. New Beginnings

As we embark on 2024, we discussed what new beginnings mean for children who enter foster care. New beginnings extend to just about every facet of what we do at CASA.  If a child is removed from their home, it's a new beginning. If a child is reunited with their family, it's a new beginning. If a child is adopted, it's a new beginning. How should we be looking at new beginnings, and what is that transition like for children?

038. CASA Impact Stories

With the holiday season up on us, and as we get ready to close 2023, we wanted to share some CASA impact stories in this episode. Jeff and Tracey talk about how our CASA volunteers and their persistence make a difference and generate positive impact for foster youth in our region and communities. In fact, one of our amazing CASA volunteers "crashed" this podcast episode and made a brief appearance!

037. Building Trust-Based Relationships With Youth

Building trust-based relationships with youth is what CASA is all about. Our volunteers understand that it takes time to build trust with foster youth who have been abused and neglected. But how do we go about doing that? What are the strategies? We discuss in more detail in this week's episode.

036. Advocating For Equity

How can we better advocate for equity within the foster care world and our local communities in general? Tracey and Jeff discuss the path CASA SHaW has embarked on, as well as their personal stories about learning what equity means, and how we can apply it into the mainstream. In the end, it's about serving our foster care youth the best we can.

035. Mental Health During The Holidays

On this episode, Tracey and Jeff dove into mental health during the holidays. The holidays can be a joy-filled season, but they can also be stressful and especially challenging for those impacted by mental illness. How can you look after your mental health during this time of year? We provided some strategies and tips.

034. Behind The Fund Development Curtain

It's important to recognize and discuss the ongoing work that's done here at CASA behind the scenes. There are so many moving cogs that help to provide foster youth in our community an advocate to be their voice as they navigate their way through the child welfare system. With that being said, what's behind the fund development curtain here at CASA? Our Director of Development, Ellen Davis, joined us on this episode to talk about the importance of the CASA mission and the many amazing stories we share with those who seek to fund our good work.

003. CASA Is A Team Built On Relationships

On this episode, our extraordinary CASA volunteer, Mary Grossman, joined us to talk about how CASA is a team and how various relationships lead to the success and outcome of a case. Not only did Mary talk to us about how and why she became a CASA volunteer, but she also dove into her advocacy and what the relationship building through our CASA program has meant to her.

032. Perspective From a CASA Case Supervisor

Often, we focus on our CASA volunteers and how they're handling their cases for foster youth. However, we wanted to take you behind the scenes and discuss how important our CASA Case Supervisors are, and the critical role they play for our CASA program. Marnie Carrick, one of our Case Supervisors, joined us on this episode to talk about the world of foster care, CASA advocacy, and what it's like from her perspective as she helps to manage cases and her assigned CASA volunteers.