News from CASA Of Central Texas Inc.

CASA Up Close

CASA of Central Texas advocates for abused and neglected children in the court system by recruiting, training and supporting community volunteers.

Welcome to another edition of CASA Up Close Monthly. Please feel free to contact CASA for more information about anything you read. And, as always, thank you for your continued support.

Letter from the Executive Director

10 Ways to Support CASA

CASA of Central Texas is always looking for more advocates to reach our goal of serving 100% of children in care. If you do not have time to become an advocate but would like to show your support, there are many ways to get involved.

Here are a few simple ways you can support CASA:

Shop though AmazonSmile- Just go to www.smile.amazon.com, log on to your Amazon account, type CASA of Central Texas in the search box, select us and start shopping! We will receive .5% of all eligible purchases when you buy from Amazon!
Use GoodSearch and Goodshop- A search engine just like Google, but for every search you do, CASA of Central Texas receives 1 cent. Go to www.goodsearch.com, type in CASA of Central Texas as the beneficiary, and start searching! If you shop online, use the same process through Goodshop and CASA will receive a percentage of your spending.
Stay connected online- Find us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all of our events, or visit us online at www.casacentex.org.
Get a CASA license plate- help us raise funds and awareness by getting our logo on the roads of Central Texas. Order the plate here.
Help us spread the word- many people do not know CASA even exists. If you belong to a service, civic or church organization, invite CASA to be a guest speaker.
Learn more about CASA- Bring a friend and attend a CASA Voices Tour, held Wednesdays at the CASA office. Learn more here .
Participate in one of our fundraising events or host your own CASA fundraiser through your business.
Join the Wing Society-An auxiliary organization whose mission is to provide support services to help our advocates "soar". Learn more here .
Become a Board Member- CASA relies on board members to set the direction of the program and help make local connections in the community. Contact us for more information.
Donate to CASA's Capital Campaign to build a new Training and Support Center in San Marcos. Learn more here.

Sincerely,

Norma Castilla-Blackwell
Executive Director

Become a CASA Volunteer

2015 New Volunteer Trainings

To learn more about training sessions,contact Training Coordinator Debbie Haynes at 512-392-3578 or by email.

For more information on becoming a volunteer, click here .

San Marcos

Hays County Courthouse

Wednesdays

Oct. 7 thru Nov. 11

1:00 pm to 5:00 pm

Saturdays

Oct. 17 thru Nov. 21

8:30 am to 1:30 pm

New Braunfels

CASA office

Thursdays

Oct. 8 thru Nov. 12
4:30 pm to 8:30 pm

Volunteer Spotlight

Kathie and Larry Patterson,
Hays County volunteers.

Kathie and Larry Patterson accepted their first case in January of this year.

"We had heard of CASA for years, but it was our good friend, Carolyn Liner, who urged us to attend the training."

The Pattersons are currently advocating for four children, ages ranging 2 to 7 years, who have been placed with their grandparents.

"CASA is truly a great fit for us. We thoroughly enjoy working with and spending time with the children and their grandparents. It is very satisfying work to be able to encourage and support a family during a difficult period in their lives."

Voices Tour Information Sessions

Want to learn more about the role of a CASA Volunteer?
Come to ribbon

our one-hour information session and hear how our volunteers advocate for children who have been abused and neglected.

CASA staff and volunteers will be on hand to share their stories and answer your questions.

Voices Tours

New Braunfels

CASA office

Wednesday, October 7th - noon

San Marcos

Historic Hays County Courthouse, Room 101

Tuesday, October 13th - noon

Please RSVP to Jerret Swierc by email or at 830-626-2272.

Lunch provided by Fox's Pizza Den in New Braunfels and Chick-fil-A in San Marcos.

Continuing Education Recap

Human Trafficking

On September 24, 2015 Dottie Laster, Executive Director of the Heidi Search Center in San Antonio spoke with advocates about human trafficking. Her presentation included how the law defines trafficking, social media risks and how to talk to your CASA kids about the dangers. Our raffle winners were Clark Walter and John McGee.

Volunteer Mixer & Recruiting Event

The Wing Society, CASA's auxiliary group, hosted a volunteer mixer and recruitment event on September 25th at Vino en Verde in Gruene. Guests enjoyed food and drinks, giveaways and a program featuring CASA volunteer Ralph Townsend.

Volunteers were asked to bring a friend they believed would make a great advocate. Thank you Wing Society for supporting our advocates and helping us connect with 13 prospective volunteers!

Support CASA Through Payroll Deduction

CASA of Central Texas has been approved to participate in several payroll deductions campaigns for public employees.

If you qualify for one of these campaigns through your employer, please consider supporting CASA. Your friends and family can also participate, so help us get the word out!

State Employee Charitable Campaign (SECC):
CASA of Central Texas agency listing - 475017

Combined Federal Campaign (CFC):
CASA of Central Texas agency listing - 60661

San Antonio Metropolitan Area (SAMA) Public Sector Campaigns:

City of San Antonio Charitable Campaign

Bexar County Charitable Campaign

Combined School District Charitable Campaign

City of Austin Combined Charities Campaign (COACCC):

Events Recap

SAIL WITH CASA

Thank you to everyone who attended, sponsored and donated to our 3rd Annual Guadalupe County Fundraiser, Sail with CASA!

SUPERHERO RUN

More than 2,800 people came out to run, walk and fly for CASA at the annual Superhero Run! Thank you to all of our supporters and sponsors for helping make another memorable event.

Congratulations to our top three fundraisers & prize winners:
1st - Elizabeth Russell,

2^nd/3^rd tie - Stephanie Schulz and Sharon Carillo

Stay tuned for an announcement of our 2016
dates for these and other events!

Coffee With CASA

Need your caffeine fix? Join us for a Coffee with CASA Meet and Greet. We will be there with an information table to answer questions you have about CASA and you can get some great coffee at the same time.

October 5^th - Lockhart - Mr. Taco - 9 AM to 12 PM

October 7^th - Wimberley - The Wimberley Café - 8 AM to 10 AM

October 26^th - San Marcos - Mochas and Javas on
Wonder World - 8 AM to 1 PM

If you have a coffee shop and would like to support CASA by hosting a Coffee with CASA, please contact Volunteer Recruitment Coordinator Laura Torres at 830-626-2272 or by email.

Community Supporters

Thanks to Valero for selecting CASA of Central Texas as a beneficiary for their PGA Golf Tournament. Executive Director Norma Blackwell and Finance Director Cathy Vrba pictured with Lane Riggs, Valero Vice President of Refinery Operations and Engineering.

Ribbon Cutting & Open House

Thank you to the San Marcos Chamber of Commerce, County Judge and Commissioners for welcoming CASA to the historic county courthouse.

CASA will be housed downtown while we work on our capital campaign and build our Training and Support Center on Hunter Road.

For more information on how you can support our Capital Campaign, contact Executive Director Norma-Castilla Blackwell at 830-626-2272 or by email.

Donate Your Car to CASA

Have an old car taking up space in your driveway? Donate it to CASA of Central Texas! CASA has partnered with CARS to participate in a vehicle donation program. We accept most cars, trucks, trailers, boats, RV's, motorcycles, off road vehicles, heavy equipment and other motorized vehicles.

Why donate your vehicle to CASA?

* Avoid the hassles of selling a car
* No need to pay hefty repair bills
* Free up space in your garage
* 100% tax deductible

Making a donation is EASY!

It's as easy as filling out an online donation form here or picking up a phone and speaking to a live operator.

If you have any questions just call one of CARS friendly operators toll-free at 855-500-7433 or 855-500-RIDE seven days a week.