May 2006b Newsletter

The Voice

Colonial CASA's E-Newsletter

Volume I, Issue 05

April 8, 2006

In This Issue...

Pencil It In...
Robin Bledsoe Says Good-Bye to Colonial CASA
Continuing Education Opportunities Abound
E-Learning for Continuing Education Now Available
E-Newsletter Archived
Why Volunteers?
Quick Links

Pencil It In...

June 12: Monthly Meeting, 11:30am

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." ~Mahatma Gandhi

To Access Colonial CASA's Calendar, Click Here.

Robin Bledsoe Says Good-Bye to Colonial CASA

Robin Bledsoe The day has come, and I must say good-bye to my CASA volunteers. It is extremely hard for me to put into words how much I respect each of you and how much I have enjoyed every moment of working with each of you. A CASA volunteer takes a very special person and each of you exemplifies the very meaning of the job description. So many children in our community are in safe and permanent homes, thanks to each of you.

I know my departure most likely comes as a shock to many of you since it is common knowledge how much I love Colonial CASA and the people within it. However, my reasons for taking the Executive Director position at Avalon are based on very personal choices. Hopefully, in explaining these choices, you, my friends, will better understand why I am leaving Colonial CASA.

Many of you know that my Mother died abruptly 5 years ago. It was quite a shock to me and I still miss her to this day. My Mother was a tiny, beautiful woman who loved my brother and me very much. Her adult life was spent making sure we had choices in our lives, choices she put herself at great risk to protect. My Mother was a battered wife and often endured abuse that no human should experience. My final tribute to my Mother is the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of other abused women and their children. The Executive Director position at Avalon will offer me the opportunity to work with another great Staff and, of course, the women and children they serve. I look forward to the challenge and know my Mother would be very proud of me right now. That, in itself, is a good feeling. I hope each of you can share in that feeling with me.

I will never be so far from you that I cannot help if needed. Thank you for 6 ½ wonderful years!

Continuing Education Opportunities Abound

As you all know, each CASA volunteer is required to complete 12 hours of Continuing Education (In-Service) credit each fiscal year (July 1st to June 30th). Of course, it is our hope that you complete more than the 12 hour minimum. Instead of viewing the Continuing Education requirement as a burden, I encourage you all to think of it as another way to learn resources, skills, and techniques to serve the best interests of our children.

Monthly Meetings (1.5 Hours) provide volunteers an opportunity to discuss program policies and cases with staff and other volunteers.
E-Learning (3 Hours) is a new program provided by National CASA. For more information read this Issue's article on E-Learning.
Resource Library (endless hours): Colonial CASA's Resource Library provides an endless supply of books, videos, and other instructional materials on a wide array of topics.

If you need additional hours, please email Barbara McElroy, Program Specialist, to set up a plan on how to complete the remaining hours. Remember, knowledge is power; the more we understand the situations in which our CASA children find themselves, the better equipped we are to serve their best-interest!

E-Learning for Continuing Education Now Available

Computer Clip Art In the April 12th edition of The Voice, Colonial CASA's E-Newsletter, we announced the release of National CASA's E-Learning program. The program addressing the educational concerns facing CASA children is targeted to CASA volunteers, staff, board members, and anyone interested in learning more about the topic.

The E-Learning is now set up and ready to go! This is great timing for the volunteer who may need a few more continuing education credits, a member of the community interested in how CASA handles the education priority of its CASA children, or the volunteer wondering, how can I better serve my CASA child.

The program consists of 5 modules, each lasting an average of 30 minutes. So, you can complete the program at your own pace! If you would like to participate in this exciting opportunity, email Barbara McElroy, Program Specialist.

E-Newsletter Archived

If you find the E-Newsletter to be a great source of information but wish you had easy access to it anytime, then you are in luck! Colonial CASA has now archived its newsletters on the website for easy access. We also decided it was important to make our program updates available to the population at large. In this spirit, potential volunteers, funders, or families have access to the most recent activities of Colonial CASA.

To Access the Archives, Click Here

Why Volunteers?

At a recent staff training in Richmond, Sarah Serra, Volunteer Coordinator, and Barbara McElroy, Program Specialist, were asked a very important question: Why Volunteers? We were tasked with the thought experiment of: if you had endless dollars, would Colonial CASA still employ volunteers? Our answer, absolutely! Colonial CASA volunteers are the foundation upon which this program runs and operates. Their dedication to the community as well as the children and families they serve drives them. This type of passion and commitment does not have a price tag!