The Voice

Colonial CASA's E-Newsletter

Volume I, Issue 12

December, 2006

In This Issue...

• Pencil It In...
• From Rebecca's Desk
• From Sarah's Desk
• Kappa Alpha Theta Supports CASA in Numerous Ways
• Colonial CASA Revels In A Supportive Community
• This Holiday Season, Support Who Supports You
• Program Update: Continuing Education Opportunities
• Colonial CASA's Wishlist
• Quick Links

Pencil It In...

• Dec. 17: CASA Holiday Party, 5pm
• Dec. 19: Crowne Plaza Celebration of Trees
• Dec. 25: Office Closed
• Dec. 26: Office Closed
• Jan. 1: Office Closed
• Jan. 8: Monthly Meeting, 11:30am
• Jan. 15: Office Closed, Martin Luther King Day
• Jan. 24: Continuing Education Opportunity, See Below
• Feb. 12: Monthly Meeting, 11:30am
• Feb. 19: Office Closed, President's Day

To Access Colonial CASA's Calendar, Click Here

From Rebecca's Desk

Greetings from upstairs! Always busy up in the Director’s office... Please stop by whenever you can – I am always happy for a break! There is a lot to be enthusiastic about at Colonial CASA as we approach the Holidays. Our Annual Fund Campaign has begun, we are beginning the organization of our first-annual Gala Event (set for September ’07) and the Board and Staff are hosting a Holiday Gathering for all volunteers and their spouses / friends. I hope every CASA will be involved in it all!

Also exciting, Colonial CASA is developing and implementing a new volunteer tier – Colonial CASA “Associates”. This program will provide volunteer opportunities for the community in areas of administrative support, event planning, and public relations. It is in the “baby” stage now, with funding being sought for its full development. I hope that this new program will enable concerned members of our community to become involved with Colonial CASA in instances where taking on the full role of a CASA is not feasible. The Associates program will be administered by the Director’s office, so please let me know if you or someone you know is interested!

My family and I wish you all a joyous Holiday Season. Bless you for the burdens you’ve taken on behalf of the children of this community. We all have much to be grateful for as we begin a new year.

~Rebecca

From Sarah's Desk

Whew! This has been a busy fall for Colonial CASA. The most exciting thing I had the good fortune to participate in was the Best Practice Courts Conference, which was sponsored by the Office of the Executive Secretary of the Supreme Court of Virginia here in little ol’ Williamsburg. Our J&DR Court was named a Best Practice Court in 2004, which is quite a feather in our cap. This conference brought together teams from 24 jurisdictions “to explore how a commitment to best practices can facilitate permanency planning for children and families and encourage collaborative relationships in these communities. Each team consisted of the J&DR Judge, the J&DR Clerk, a GAL, the DSS attorney, a DSS representative, and a CASA representative (from those jurisdictions who are fortunate enough to have a CASA program.) It was exciting to be part of such an extraordinary group of professionals who are all striving to provide ways to expedite the court process and provision of services to the children and their families involved in court proceedings.

But it gets even better... Judge Fairbanks and I were invited to be part of a panel who were to discuss how to utilize CASA to facilitate permanency planning. Other members of the panel included another J&DR Judge, a GAL, a DSS attorney and a DSS representative who had all come together with the express purpose of discussing CASA’s role, the benefits of having a CASA program, collaboration between professionals and CASAs and how CASAs assist in reaching permanency for these children.

Judge Fairbanks and I presented on how a community sets up and sustains a CASA Program. Judge Fairbanks created an outstanding PowerPoint presentation, which followed Colonial CASA’s journey from its beginning to the present. His presentation included pictures of our previous abodes – certainly not to be forgotten the infamous old courthouse – and it was all set to one of Judge Fairbanks’ true passions, blues music. And, of course, the lyrics to the music he chose spoke of abuse and neglect and people done wrong. I spoke about our meager beginnings and the trials and tribulations of going from in-kind housing to finding the money to pay rent. Judge Fairbanks explained how he wheeled and dealed to find a permanent home for us, a home that we proudly now own. I can truly say that without Judge Fairbanks’ support and persistence we would still be paying rent. And what is most impressive is that we are one of only two CASA programs in the country who own their own facility!

After a day and a half of workshops and breakout sessions, the teams re-connected to discuss which of the many innovative practices and ideas had impacted each member. There was a lot of energy in that room! Our team was certainly charged and had numerous recommendations regarding how to improve on the procedures in our little corner of the world. Our team meets on a quarterly basis and will be meeting again in January to further discuss our hopes and dreams for a better court process. The first addition to our hearings will be the inclusion of pictures of “our children”... and not just a photograph, but a projected picture on a screen to remind us all of why we are all gathered in the courtroom each and every Thursday.

Stay tuned for further updates.

~Sarah

Kappa Alpha Theta Supports CASA in Numerous Ways

As many of you may know, nationally CASA is the philanthropic cause for the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority. These two organizations have been linked together nationally since 1989 where Theta women raise awareness, money, and donate their time to hundreds of CASA programs. Colonial CASA is fortunate to have two Theta chapters of incredible support: the collegiate chapter from the College of William and Mary and the Williamsburg Alumnae chapter.

Each holiday season, the women of the Alumnae chapter donate toys, food, and Ukrops' gift cards to a CASA family so that they may have a brighter holiday season. This year, thanks to the women of Kappa Alpha Theta, a CASA family of four will have an unforgettable holiday.

Each fall, Colonial CASA staff compile the Annual Campaign to mail to various donors throughout the community. This fall, 7 women from the Theta chapter at the College of William and Mary volunteered their time to come into the CASA office to stuff, seal, and zip code sort close to 2,000 letters and envelopes for this direct-mail fundraiser! This year, thanks to these women, the CASA office was filled with young energy (and the staff was saved from a few paper cuts)!

Of course, their generosity exceeds well beyond their compassion for the children of our community -- the women of Kappa Alpha Theta are committed to raising both awareness and funds for Colonial CASA. So far this fiscal year, the Williamsburg Alumnae Chapter has donated $800 and the Collegiate Chapter has donated $1950 to Colonial CASA! We are incredibly thankful to these women and the work they do on behalf of our community's children!

Colonial CASA Revels In A Supportive Community

The integrity and value of Colonial CASA's mission is reflected in the depth and breadth of its community support. Colonial CASA is incredibly fortunate to have so many members of this community who volunteer their time to advocate for children but, also, those who volunteer their resources to ensure the program's operation. This community's generosity is inspiring -- and the holiday season's spirit reminds us to be grateful. Below is a list of Colonial CASA's community supporters for this fiscal year.

• Women's Tennis Charity Classic, $10,000

• James City Country Rotary Club, $7,000

• Bruton Parish, $5,000

• Two Rivers Swim Club, $4,000

• Kappa Alpha Theta, College of William and Mary, $1,950

• Colonial Capital Kiwanis, $1,500

• Williamsburg Kiwanis, $1,000

• Kappa Alpha Theta, Williamsburg Alumnae Chapter, $800

• Belk's, $157

• Crowne Plaza, Celebration of Trees, Currently in progress

To Learn More About Colonial CASA's Donations, Click Here

This Holiday Season, Support Who Supports You

National CASA continues its efforts in recruiting and maintaining quality partnerships with corporations, foundations, and community organizations -- examples of which include Office Depot, Coca-Cola, and NBC Universal. So, as you are running around for last minute holiday gifts (or, if you are like me and need gift ideas), consider a gift certificate from one of National CASA's partners!

Program Update: Continuing Education Opportunities

Here is an upcoming Continuing Education Opportunity for CASAs:

1. Training and information on The American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) Patient Placement Criteria for Adolescents. Robert Coleman, Director of Clinical Services, and staff of Bacon Street, will present information on the continuum of care, assessments of conditions and the comprehensive national guidelines for placement, continued stay, and discharge of adolescents with alcohol and other drug problems. The training will be held on January 24, 2007, at the James City-Williamsburg Community Center. On December 18th, please visit the HTSAC website, www.htsac.org, and look under "Training" for registration and other information.

Colonial CASA's Wishlist

You know the expression, "beggars can't be choosers?" Well, I have learned that when you ask the recipients of The Voice for something, that expression does not apply! You don't even have to beg for anything, by simply adding something to the wishlist...we get things better than we would have chosen! The wishlist has become one of the best additions to the newsletter! As long as we don't start wishing for chocolate, I think we will be in good shape (no pun intended!!)

On a more serious note, thank you to all of the individuals who have donated items from our wishlist. Your generosity continues to amaze us and we are incredibly thankful. Since the beginning of this article, we have had individuals donate: a coffee maker, a microwave, a vacuum cleaner, a printer, an approved fire extinguisher, and the installation of a new electrical outlet!

Quick Links

Colonial CASA's Website

• The Voice, Newsletter Archive
• Community Resource Directory
• E-Store
• Calendar
• Spirit of Giving

National CASA

CASA Net