I speak not for myself but for those without voice... those who have fought for their rights... their right to live in peace, their right to be treated with dignity, their right to equality of opportunity, their right to be educated.
Photo by Torbjørn Kjosvold/FMS
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UPCOMING TRAINING SESSIONS AND EVENTS
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CASAs are required to complete
12 hours of in-service training
every year. Earn your training hours by attending events, reading books, or even attending webinars online. Contact your coordinator or Deanna if you have questions about this requirement.
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INTERPERSONAL DYNAMICS TRAINING
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As a CASA, you interact with service providers, case workers, attorneys, parents, and other associated parties on a regular basis. Despite differences and challenges, it is important to maintain professional relationship with them.
In this training, learn how to build strong relationships as a CASA.
WHEN:
Thursday, February 27 from 5:30 - 7:00 pm
WHERE:
Tippecanoe Room in the Tippecanoe County Office Building
WHO:
Mark Frederick holds a Ph.D. in counseling psychology. He is a faculty member with
dual appointments in the department of educational leadership, teaching, and learning and the department of counselor education.
Mark teaches courses on educational leadership, research methods and techniques, and provides dissertation support for doctoral students.
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CASA DAY AT THE STATEHOUSE
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CASAs from across the state will rally in the statehouse to celebrate the work you do. The Indiana State Office of GAL/CASA will also be celebrating their 30
th
anniversary!
WHEN:
Wednesday, March 4, 12:00 - 1:00 pm
WHERE:
North Rotunda of the Indianapolis Statehouse
TRANSPORTATION:
Our staff will be car-pooling down. We have room for some CASAs to join us on a first come, first serve basis. We will leave the CASA main office at about 9:30 to make sure we have ample time to park in downtown Indianapolis.
LUNCH:
Our CASA program will go to lunch together in Indianapolis after the program ends around 1:00. We will reserve tables at a restaurant close to the statehouse.
Please RSVP to Deanna at
[email protected]
or 765-423-9109, ext 0, if you plan on attending.
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Optima should aid your work as a CASA. Learn more about how to use it effectively and meaningfully.
In this training, we will
answer your Optima-related questions to help you feel more equipped in your role as a CASA.
WHEN:
Tuesday, March 31 from 1:00 - 3:00 pm
WHERE:
Tippecanoe Room in the Tippecanoe County Office Building
WHO:
Stan Piercefield is the Optima Consultant for Indiana CASA. He will be visiting to teach us more about the program.
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EMOTIONALLY RESILIENT YOUTH
BY INDIANA YOUTH INSTITUTE
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One-third of youth report feeling nervous or anxious within the past month. Stress makes youth skip meals and feel tired, depressed and overwhelmed. This is particularly true for under-resourced populations that may face more significant stressors such as trauma and the struggle to have basic needs met.
Join us for this experience as we:
• understand how emotional resilience can improve the college and career readiness of youth;
• understand practical strategies to strengthen the emotional resilience of youth;
• expand on ideas and resources for practitioners;
• take actionable knowledge to help youth not only survive, but thrive with more emotional resilience.
WHEN:
Friday, March 6 from 11:00 am - 1:00 pm
WHERE:
Bauer Community Center, 330 Fountain St. Lafayette, IN 47902
WHO:
Skye Berger is the Chief Encouragement Officer and Executive Creative Coach at Door Opener Academy and Skye Berger Group.
Lunch will be provided.
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YWCA SPRING TRAINING SESSIONS
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YWCA Greater Lafayette's Domestic Violence Intervention & Prevention Program would like to invite you to their Spring Training Series.
All of these trainings are free of charge.
Homicide & Suicide Risk Factor Prevention
February 28, 2020 | 9 - 10:30 am
Dr. Laura Schwab Reese, Assistant Professor in the Purdue University department of Public Health, and Lauren Murfee, PhD Student will present study results, findings, and suggested risk patterns from the Center for Disease Control's National Violent Deaths Reported System (NVDRS).
Tacos & Tech Safety
March 26, 2020 | 11:30 am - 1:00 pm
The Order of the Sword and Shield, a student organization at Purdue University, will present on the latest issues concerning technologically perpetrated abuse and stalking, and sharing ways in which survivors can maximize device safety. Lunch provided
Exploring Trauma & PTSD with Dr. Will Miller
April 8, 2020 | 11:30 am - 1:00 pm
As part of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, Dr. Will Miller will present a training on trauma and PTSD, which affects many sexual assault survivors. Dr. Miller is a Licensed Clinical Trauma Specialist, addiction counselor, and stress consultant as well as a former professional comedian. Limited to the first 100 RSVPs.
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THE INTERSECTION OF TRAUMA AND MENTAL HEALTH
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Impact of Domestic Violence and Mental Health
March 11, 2020, 12:00 - 12:50 pm
Speaker TBA
Inter-generational Trauma and Mental Health
April 8, 2020, 12:00 -12:50 pm
Matt Oliver Executive Director of Operation for Community Howard's Outpatient Behavioral Health Services
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READING AND RESOURCE LIST
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The list includes:
Educated
by Tara Westover
Dope Sick
by Beth Macy
Racism without racists: Color-blind racism and the persistence of racial inequality in the U.S.
by Eduardo Bonnill-Silva
Renting Lacy: A Story of America’s Prostituted Children
by Linda Smith
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If the youth you serve need prescription eye glasses, lions club may have appropriate glasses for them.
Contact Charles B. Roth with the Battleground, IN club for more information. Email him at
[email protected]
.
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This year, our goal is to see
60 new community members become CASAs.
To accomplish this, our team is speaking to local organizations, attending events, and interacting with the community. We have also launched a new marketing campaign.
If you would like to have a staff member speak at your place of worship, work, or club, please contact Elizabeth Dunlap, Staff Advocate Outreach Coordinator, at
[email protected]
.
If you know somebody who is interested in becoming a CASA, please
direct them to our website
. This year, our training classes take place in February, July, and November.
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Here are some of the ways we've engaged the greater Lafayette community in recent months:
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We have several billboards that are going up around town. Keep an eye out for them and let us know if you see them!
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VISITING KOSSUTH STREET BAPTIST CHURCH
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The church's event highlighted the needs of children in foster care, information about adoption, and our role in advocating for abused and neglected children.
Jenn and Elizabeth joined Kim, a CASA, at the event!
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ATTENDING THE LAFAYETTE NOON OPTIMIST CLUB LUNCHEON
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Elizabeth loved sharing information about the CASA program and the role of the CASA volunteer at the Lafayette Noon Optimist Club Luncheon. True to their mission, the Optimist members were positive and welcoming!
Pictured: Elizabeth with Dinah Tudor of the Optimist Club.
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WEST LAFAYETTE FARMERS MARKET
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Hilary and Jenn represented us at the West Lafayette Farmers Market in October.
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STEVEN FLOWERS NAMED 2020 EXECUTIVE JOURNEY FELLOW
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Congratulations to Steven Flowers, our deputy director, for being named a 2020 Executive Journey Fellow. He is one of thirty people from youth-serving organizations across Indiana selected to the prestigious fellowship.
The Journey was started in 2002 through a grant from the Lilly Endowment. It provides Indiana's youth workers with “greater opportunities to explore meaning and purpose in their lives and make stronger commitments to the field of youth work,” according to a statement from the association.
Learn more about the fellowship
here
.
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ELIZABETH DUNLAP, STAFF ADVOCATE OUTREACH COORDINATOR
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"I’m thrilled to be part of the CASA program as the Staff Advocate Outreach Coordinator. I retired from teaching in 2018 and have spent the past year babysitting my first grandchild, a wonderful blessing. Now, I have the great pleasure of working with a very dedicated group of individuals whose sole focus is advocating for children in need.
For extracurricular activities, I enjoy my Step Aerobics classes, cycling (at a snail’s pace though), book club, social outings with friends, and travel. Recently, I had the pleasure of joining my sister and her family on a trip to Costa Rica. We stayed at the very southernmost tip of the Osa Peninsula. As a city girl, this was way out of my comfort zone, but WOW, what a trip!
I would love to meet everyone, so when you’re at the CASA office, stop by and say hello."
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JENN THOMPSON, STAFF ADVOCATE
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"I am truly excited to join CASA’s team as a Staff Advocate. I have spent the past 8 years working at the intersection of food insecurity and economic development, most recently as the Pantry Manager at Food Finders Food Bank.
Two years ago I relocated to Lafayette from my home-State of Maine, and I am currently completing my Bachelors Degree in Philosophy at Purdue University. I am grateful for the opportunity to join such a dedicated team, and I look forward to meeting each of you- please come say hello the next time you’re in the CASA office!"
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ZACH PATTISON, VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR
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"I am excited to join the Tippecanoe County CASA team as a Volunteer Coordinator. Advocacy work is immensely important to me – especially advocacy work for children.
I earned a bachelor’s degree in religion from Indiana Wesleyan University and a master’s degree in political theology and ethics from Duke University.
Upon finishing graduate school, I moved to Lafayette to pursue a career at the intersection of youth advocacy work and political and legal systems. I am a professionally certified youth and child care worker with recent experience as a Youth Services Supervisor at Bauer Family Resources and a Program Coordinator at Food Finders Food Bank.
I’m looking forward to meeting everyone, and I am honored to do this work alongside you all!"
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TRINDA STECKLER, INTAKE CASE COORDINATOR
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"I am truly humbled to be in the role of Intake Case Coordinator. I have been in and around advocacy services with adults and children for the past 34 years. Having served as a volunteer CASA in Grant County before relocating to Tippecanoe County in 2013 — where I also served as a volunteer CASA.
My passion has always been to give a voice to those that cannot speak for themselves. I completed my Master's Degree in Public Management at Indiana University, Kokomo, where I have remained as a visiting professor. I have been fortunate to travel extensively, raise three wonderful children, and enjoy an 18-year marriage to a wonderful man.
Originally from New York, I have been in Indiana since 1984 and Tippecanoe County since 2013. I think of this region with the same affection as my childhood home and welcome the opportunity to contribute to its children and families in the most meaningful way."
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THANK YOU FOR BRIGHTENING
THE HOLIDAY SEASON
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Thanks to everybody who helped us wrap Julie and Michael's Christmas Stocking gifts.
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The holiday luncheon is our way of thanking service providers, DCS, the courts, and others for the work they do for the children we serve.
Thank you for coming and bringing delicious meals to share.
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Best wishes to all CASAs with birthdays in November, December, January, and February!
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Tamzin Malone
Christian Beaver
James
Heichelbech
Mary
Caccavo
Patricia Sellers
Mark Einstein
Jeremy Bray
Thomas Brennan
Catherine Newbury
Sandra Taylor
Connie Bodkin
Elizabeth Young
Christi Masters
Nancy May
Cadi Bien
Carol Baunach
Brently Jordan
Mary Ellen Miller
Abby Everette
Gerritt Smith
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Melinda Clayton
Pat Wilkerson
Monica Brown
Sarah Cornwell
Bambrah Walker
Christine Ginzel
Mary Quinn
Patricia Corey
Ryan Cabot
Carol Czomak
Amy Hasemann
Nina Pomery
Marj Bunting
Natalie Baker
Carol Mott
Barbara Click
Valerie Pettiner
Christa Jackson
Larry Hancock
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Thanks for reading!
We appreciate your support, your volunteer efforts, and your dedication to children.
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