CASA Connection

031. The Need To Help Foster Youth Who Age Out

On this episode, Jeff and Tracey discuss the need to help foster youth who age out of the foster care system. What happens when a foster youth with no home, food, or a job ages out of the system? What resources are available to them? How can we help and provide assistance during this unimaginable time in their lives? We had a great discussion about this issue.

030. Foster Youth Going Back To School

It's that time of year where foster youth will begin another school year. For many in foster care, it's an uncertain time due to the instability within their lives outside of the classroom. What kind of resources are available for foster youth to help them succeed in school? How can we best advocate for their education? These are just a couple of the topics we dove into on this episode.

029. DEI Initiatives Are Important

On this episode, we talked to CASA SHaW's Director of Diversity and Inclusion, Amanda Gilliam, about our CASA program's diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives and why they're important for the work we do. Amanda tells us about her story, the benefits of DEI initiatives for our CASA program, and how we're progressing in this realm. We also embarked on some DEI myth debunking as well. 

028. Diving Into Our CASA Family Video Series

Over the past few months, we have been generating an exciting new initiative called the CASA Family Video Series! We understand that resource homes and biological families don't always have valuable information at their fingertips when trying to learn about the challenges and needs that their children may have. How does an infant's brain develop? How do you care for textured hair? What resources are available within our public education system for children who may have academic challenges? Thanks to a grant that was provided to us, we have been producing and uploading to our YouTube channel videos that will help resource and biological families. On this episode, we dive into this video series, what it means to us, and those we serve.

027. Community Resources Are Important For CASA

On this episode, Tracey and Jeff talk about how and why community resources and partnerships are so important to the work we do. Whether it's partnering with other nonprofits, clubs, businesses, or larger corporations, our collective community within our region continues to be a tremendous partner in the important work we do for foster children.

026. Pride Month And What It Means To Us

June is a time where we recognize and celebrate Pride Month at our CASA program. As advocates and supporters of our LGBTQ+ community, it's important for our CASA program to be visible within our community.  Whether it's setting up a Pride Day booth or helping to educate people with an open mind, to listening to LGBTQ+ community stories, we support our LGBTQ+ community. Listen to what Pride Month means to us, as well as the conversation, our Executive Director had with her trans daughter, Alex!

025. A Conversation With Davon Woods | Raising Foster Care Awareness

We recently spoke to Davon Woods, the founder of Foster Kids Matter, about his and his twin brother's journey across the United States. The Woods brothers are raising foster care awareness by walking in all 50 states and spreading the word about how we can all help children who are going through the foster care system. Davon spoke to us about his story, thoughts on the foster care system, and how he wants to inspire others to become more educated about the system he and his twin brother grew up in.

024. Foster Care Awareness Month!

It's May! So that means it's National Foster Care Awareness Month! Here at CASA SHaW we like to celebrate and talk about our positive impact stories. Through these stories we are able to highlight how our CASA volunteers, one step at time, truly make a difference in the lives of the abused and neglected foster children they serve. This episode contains three stories: The Wrestler, The Readers, The Nurse. Let's keep spreading the word about how we can make a positive impact in the world of foster care!

023. A Parent’s Journey with Kristen

This episode takes you into the world of a parent's journey. Kristen had her baby taken from her due to substance abuse addiction. She battled and came out on top. Thankfully, she is here and healthy today, telling her story to our CASA program in the hopes that her story will inspire others.

022. Child Abuse Prevention Month

Every April, we commemorate and recognize Child Abuse Prevention Month. It's a great time to not only learn about how and why the cycle of abuse continues to perpetuate itself generation after generation, but also what we can do to curb this awful phenomenon. In this episode, we discuss why child abuse happens and what we can do to prevent it more in the future.