CASA/LA BUZZ: December 2020

DECEMBER 2020

Events

RSVP for our Virtual Volunteer Appreciation Event!

CASA News

CASA in The New York Times!

Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times listed CASA as a nonprofit to support on his annual holiday gift guide! CASA is one of only five organizations highlighted in the 2020 Holiday Impact Prize Gift Guide.

We are immensely grateful to our partners at Focusing Philanthropy for making this happen and to Nick Kristof for including CASA in his nationally followed Holiday Guide. As Nick’s states, “We can’t fix foster care overnight, but we can help these kids negotiate a sometimes uncaring system — and that’s what CASA does.” With over 30,000 children under the jurisdiction of the Los Angeles County Dependency Court, the need for more CASA/LA volunteers is greater than ever.

We hope you will share this with your networks far and wide and encourage them to reach out to us with any questions on how to help! As we enter the season of giving, we also wanted to give each of you thanks for your dedication in advocating for the most vulnerable children in our community.

Today is #GIVINGTUESDAY

#GivingTuesday is an opportunity for people around the world to use their individual power of generosity to remain connected and support their local communities. This #GivingTuesday help support us by spreading the word about our important mission and encouraging your friends and family to give the gift of advocacy this holiday season by supporting CASA/LA!

Court Reports

Due to the impact of COVID on the court calendar, we will have a very busy January and February of court hearings! If you have a court hearing in early 2021, please make sure you check in with your supervisor now and make plans for submitting your report on time. It’s important that your information gets to the judge!

CONTINUING EDUCATION

CASA IN-SERVICE TRAINING

Disability Rights Center

When: Thursday, December 3 at 12-1:30 PM

Where: online via Zoom

Continuing Education Hours: 1.5

Los Angeles Education Partnership (LAEP) Early Head Start Program

When: Wednesday, December 9 at 12-1 PM

Where: online via Zoom

Continuing Education Hours: 1

Education for Dually Enrolled Youth

When: Wednesday, December 16 at 12-2 PM

Where: online via Zoom

Continuing Education Hours: 2

RSVP for an In-Service

Get In-Service Handouts

If you are interested in watching a recorded video of a past training that you missed, reach out to Betsy Ann Mudd (bmudd@casala.org). We may have what you are looking for!

CONNECTION

BOOK CLUBS

Coastline Book Group

Where: Online

When: Thursday, January 14 at 1:30-3 PM

We're Reading: "Three Little Words" by Ashley Rhodes-Courter

RSVP: contact Jeanne Irving @ jirving@advocatecasala.org

San Fernando Valley Book Group

Where: Online

When: Tuesday, January 12 at 7 PM

We're Reading: "Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents" by Isabel Wilkerson

RSVP: contact Renne Bilson @ rjbilson@aol.com

Want to host a book club?

Contact Betsy Ann Mudd at bmudd@casala.org.

For CASA Youth

CASA/LA Holiday Grab and Go

You are invited to a socially distant holiday gift grab and go! We have toys, clothing, gift cards and other items for your child/youth this holiday season. All you need to do is drive up to the location and we’ll hand over the items while you remain in your car. As with all events these days, the giveaway will take place outside and our staff will be equipped with masks and gloves. You must wear a mask when interacting with CASA staff.

December 12, 2020

9:00AM – 12:00PM

Locations:

Right Way Foundation

3650 W Martin Luther King Jr Blvd #195

Los Angeles, CA 90008

Junior Achievement

6250 Forest Lawn Dr

Los Angeles, CA 90068

*This event may be canceled in the event of rain and/or a revised Safer-at-Home Order.

Real to Reel is hosting a holiday giveaway and film screening!

The holidays can be rough for youth growing up in the foster care system.

This holiday season, Real to Reel Global powered by Better Youth and sponsored by The RightWay Foundation and Skydance Media are coming together to bring holiday joy to foster youth by hosting an online Holiday Giveaway & Film Screening to benefit current and former foster youth between the ages of 14-25.

The event will take place on Saturday, December 19 from 4-7pm on Zoom. There will be a panel discussion at 4pm followed by a screening of the movie Foster Boy at 5pm. All youth in attendance will receive a gift card (valued at $100).

Call to Action

Holiday eCards Have Arrived!

Celebrate the holidays by sending a heartfelt gift in support of children in LA County’s child welfare system. Simply make a donation of your choice to receive physical cards in the mail or send digital eCards directly to the inbox of your loved ones!

Visit the Holiday Card Store

CASA/LA’s Holiday Wishlist

Help us ensure that every youth has a special day this holiday season by supporting our holiday gift drive. In addition to the items on our Amazon Wishlist, many of the youth we serve are battling food insecurity. Gift cards to grocery stores, gift baskets that include nonperishable snacks and canned goods, and kitchen items like cookware sets that youth can use to cook for themselves would go a long way. Additionally, If you are interested in organizing a gift card drive or if you have connections to a company or organization who can donate new items (clothes, toys, shoes, etc.) we would love your help!

Please contact Kelly Lozo at klozo@casala.org to coordinate.

Resources for Volunteers

Meet other CASA volunteers virtually for monthly discussions and support. Connections are organized by age group of youth served. Sign up here.

You can visit our website for the most up to date version of our court report writing handbook and templates for your court report. In-service trainings on this topic are held quarterly.

CASA/LA cares about the well-being of our advocates. As a volunteer, you have access to our EAP program for anonymous telephonic counseling. Company code: CASAOFLA

Join the CASA resource forum in Muut to search/share resources, communicate with other CASAs, ask questions, and get updates. Read the following instructions to begin.

Visit Litmos to access webinars on transitional age youth, early childhood, etc.

Look in your advocate email for an invitation from CASA/LA or contact your supervisor.

Read our volunteer handbook for any CASA/LA policies regarding anything from conflict of interest, mandatory reporting, boundaries, or posting on social media.

TECH

Need help with ETO?

Contact Josh Saxelby-Valle at jsaxelby-valle@casala.org or 323.859.2888 x.6354

CASA of Los Angeles | 323-859-2888 | www.casala.org