The advocacy team is happy to announce that we have promoted two of our advocate supervisors to
program managers.
The program manager positions represent two important areas of growth and opportunity for CASA/LA. The program manager positions will support CASA's and CASA staff in advocating for the young people who are among the most vulnerable in the child welfare system.
|
|
These new positions will be responsible for assisting the advocacy team in building out the resources, programming and collaborations needed for CASA/LA to be become experts in these fields.
Ludy Vasquez (left) is our new program manager for juvenile justice and will focus on advocacy needs for young people involved in both the juvenile dependency and juvenile delinquency systems.
Lauri Halderman (right) is our new program manager for early childhood and will focus on advocacy needs for children 0-5.
|
|
CASA IN-SERVICE TRAINING
General Education
When:
Tuesday, July 18 at 12-2pm
Where:
CASA office in Monterey Park
Facilitator:
Erin Black, Education Advocate and Trainer
@
Alliance for Children’s Rights
Continuing Education Credits:
2 hours
Sexual Identity and Gender Differences
When:
Tuesday, July 23 at 12-2pm
Where:
CASA office in Monterey Park
Facilitator:
Ceci Martinez, Community Health Educator @ Planned Parenthood
Continuing Education Credits:
2 hours
To RSVP for CASA In-Services, c
lick
here
.
To download recent In-Service handouts, click
here
.
|
|
EXTERNAL TRAINING
Responding to CSEC and Trauma:
Monday,
July 15 at 8-5pm
Vicarious Trauma/Compassion Fatigue:
Tuesday, July 16 at 8-5pm
Harm Reduction Strategies for working with CSEC/Youth:
Tuesday, Aug 6 at 8-5pm
For more information on trainings available in the community click
here
.
|
|
BOOK CLUBS
San Fernando Valley Book Club
Where:
CASA's home in Studio City
When:
Tuesday, July 9 at 7 pm
C
oastline Book Group
Where:
The Jonathan Club Beach House in Santa Monica
When:
Thursday, July 18 at 1pm
We're Reading
: “Spilled Milk” by K.L. Randis
RSVP
: RSVP is mandatory to attend due to a lunch that is prepared ahead of time.
For more info & to RSVP contact Andrea Siegel at
Asiegel9@roadrunner.com
Urban Book Group
Where:
Children’s Institute in Echo Park
When:
August 10 at 11am-1pm
We're Reading
: “The Language of Flowers” by Vanessa Diffenbaugh
San Gabriel Valley Book Group
Where:
CASA's home in
Sierra Madre
When:
Saturday, August 31 at 1-3pm
We're Reading
: “An American Marriage” by
Tayari Jones
Want to host a book club?
|
|
CASA CONNECTIONS
Social get-togethers organized by CASAs and for CASAs
Westside
Where:
Station 59 Firehouse, West LA
When:
Saturday, August 10 at 9:45am-12pm
Men's Group: West Coast
Where:
Santa Monica Lawn Bowls Club
When:
Saturday,
July 20 at 11am-1pm
Cost:
$10 for lawn bowling
Want to host a CASA Connection?
|
|
Hungry? Grab a Bite at Mohawk Bend and Dirt Dog LA!
|
CASA/LA will be the beneficiary of two exciting fundraisers this month!
Mohawk Bend
in Echo Park has created a delicious custom pizza for us during their
July
Piece of the Pie campaign
, where $4 of every “The USR (
Ultra Super Radical)
Pizza” will go toward our programming. This pie is a mouthwatering treat, with white béchamel sauce, mozzarella, fresh mozzarella, sopressata, hot agave, crushed black pepper & Parmesan. Best of all, it can be made vegan!
Then, celebrate National Hot Dog Day with us on
Wednesday, July 17
at
Dirt Dog Los Angeles
where $1 per hot dog sold on that day will go to CASA/LA! Is there a better way to celebrate this important holiday than supporting our shared mission?
If you know of any organizations that may be interested in partnering with us in a similar way, please let us know. We are also always looking to create experiences in our community that benefit the children we serve. For more information please contact Kelly Lozo (
klozo@casala.org
323.859.2888 x6353).
|
|
Here at CASA/LA we're all about connection and transparency. Save the date to attend a meeting with our CEO, Wende Julien, who is thrilled to be sharing the most current CASA news following the close of the last fiscal year as well as our strategic plan and goals to get us there!
Invite to come!
When:
Friday, August 23, 8-10am
Where:
CASA Office, Monterey Park
*Remote streaming accessible via the Antelope Valley CASA Office.
|
|
Thanks to everyone who responded to our announcement of planning efforts for our 6th Annual Wine+Art fundraising event on
Saturday November 2nd, 2019
! Last year's event in LA’s Arts District was attended by over 800 guests. We auctioned over 150 pieces of art — including a Mark Bradford piece — all in support of our cause to provide youth in foster care with Court Appointed Special Advocates.
|
|
We'd love your continued support to create another spectacular evening! If you or someone you know is interested in donating art, sponsoring our event, or becoming a food and beverage vendor we'd love to hear from you.
|
|
Need help with ETO?
Refer to the updated Advocate Handbook or join us for weekly walk-in ETO clinics Tuesdays 12pm-2pm in our Monterey Park office!
|
|
UCLA UniCamp
UCLA UniCamp is unique in that the camp counselors are UCLA student volunteers - they're there for the kids because they genuinely care for their growth and well-being. They are trained to ACA standards and fundraise all year long, on top of their academic responsibilities, to subsidize the cost of camp for kids. Additionally, each camp week has a specialized theme that runs outcome-based programs that addresses an aspect of social and leadership development for youth along with traditional camp activities. Themed weeks this summer include outdoor environmental science and education, healthy lifestyle choices, African American empowerment, and so much more! To learn more about UCLA UniCamp, check out our website:
unicamp.org
or email Kyle Pascual at
kpascual@unicamp.org
.
Is Your Foster Youth An Artist?
CASA Phil Ward heads up a project connecting young visual artists with seasoned musicians. When a CASA youth artist participates by using one of their art pieces, a singer-songwriter will create a song inspired by your CASA child/youth's art, and the youth will receive a recording of the song. The artists retain all rights to their work and may remain anonymous if they so choose. You and your CASA child have the opportunity to learn more by emailing Phil at
philwardlive@att.net
to ask more about the Now See Hear project. To learn more click
here
.
Journey House
Journey House is a non-profit that helps former foster youth make a successful transition into self-sufficiency while completing their education and job training. This includes financial assistance for former foster youth while they are in school or vocational training, including funding for tuition, fees, and textbooks. Housing assistance for former foster youth while they are in school or vocational training. Counseling and mentorship are included to encourage former foster and probation youth to establish the self-discipline they need to stay in school and create an independent life. There's also a new initiative underway to support foster youth in becoming politically active. Foster youth have been engaged with legislators and have successfully passed Four bills. This includes the Chassee bill that extends funding for former foster youth to 26 years old. For more information please contact Jessie (political action) and George (services)
here
.
United Friends College Readiness Program
United Friends of the Children has limited spots available for their College Readiness Program (CRP) to help foster youth become competitive applicants for four-year colleges and universities. Enrichment focused: individual college counseling, tutoring, workshops, college tours, special events, and summer programs. For an application and detailed information please click
here
.
Fostering Hope LA
Fostering Hope LA provides job readiness training and Christian mentorship to transitional aged youth. 8-week sessions, start on February 2019 on Monday and Wednesday evenings from 5:30PM to 8:00PM. Participants will hear stories from former foster youth about their successes, speak with business owners, life coaches, and educational advocates, and be paired with a mentor. For more information, please click
here
.
WE LIFT LA
WE LIFT LA empowers TAY youth and young adults out of the foster care system by providing life skills services, consistent support, workshops, and counseling to make the shift from foster care to independence less challenging and more successful. The organization offers housing, life skills development, and job readiness and vocational training. Click
here
for more info.
|
|
"Justice is what love looks like in public."
-Cornel West
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
