CASA Connection

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.

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.