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To our CASAs,
Happy New Year!
No – you didn’t read that wrong. At Voices for Children, our new fiscal year begins each July 1. Although we don’t toast at midnight or make resolutions, we do take stock of all our CASAs have accomplished over the last year and look forward to what the next year will bring.
Whether you just completed Advocate University or have been a CASA for a decade (or longer!), we are so grateful to begin another year alongside you and the children you serve.
With appreciation, always,
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Jessica Muñoz, Esq., MFS
President & CEO
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June Volunteer Hours
Please use this form to submit your June volunteer hours. Remember to include time spent driving to and from visits, meetings, and other CASA-related destinations.
VFC Office Closures
VFC staff continue to primarily work remotely; however, access to the office is available to CASAs. Please reach out to your advocacy supervisor if you need to come into the office. Our office will be closed on the following days:
Thursday, July 4 (Independence Day)
Monday, September 2 (Labor Day)
Chesapeake Office Drop-In Hours
Voices for Children’s Chesapeake office has dedicated drop-in hours. If you need to access the office to pick up a gift card, a car seat, or any other prearranged item, please prepare to stop by Monday–Friday: 10 a.m.–noon or 1 p.m.–3 p.m.
Quarterly Mileage Reimbursement
CASA mileage reimbursement forms for the period of April through June, 2024, are due on Friday, July 5. Be sure to submit any other unreimbursed mileage for the past fiscal year (July 1, 2023- June 30, 2024) by Friday, July 5. To receive your reimbursement, please fill out a mileage reimbursement form and return it to your advocacy supervisor.
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Continuing Education Information Update
In an effort to streamline and minimize emails, continuing education and small group information will be accessible only on the Weekly Roundup beginning April 1. CASAs should now access the Weekly Roundup through the CASA Resource Portal, which can be accessed through CasaConnect. CasaConnect works best when accessed through Google Chrome. If you have any questions about the CASA Resource Portal, please reach out to your supervisor.
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At-Home Continuing Education
This month’s at-home Continuing Education suggestions come from our Advocacy Team. If you participate in these or any other form of independent study, please contact your advocacy supervisor to receive Continuing Education credit.
By Their Side: Advocating for Children in Foster Care
This podcast explores the intricacies of foster care and child welfare advocacy through candid discussions with industry professionals Join your host, Micaela Tracy, as we delve into topics such as trauma, attachment, and effective advocacy strategies.
Invisible Injuries of Trauma
Log into California CASA’s E-Learning Center (click here to create an account or log in) to access this webinar and deepen your understanding of the challenges faced by trauma-affected youth and how CASAs can better help them. The webinar is conducted by Dr. Kate Messina, who has over 35 years of experience in direct practice and community mental health working with children and families affected by early childhood trauma. Dr. Messina provides trainings to counties, as well as foster, mental health, and wraparound agencies on the WisdomPath Way Reparative Parenting Approach, which is a therapeutic parent-child coaching model she developed to respond to the needs of bio, resource, and adoptive parents who are parenting trauma-affected children.
White Oleander by Janet Finch
This novel tells the unforgettable story of Ingrid, a brilliant poet imprisoned for murder, and her daughter, Astrid, whose odyssey through a series of Los Angeles foster homes- each its own universe of laws, dangers, and lessons to be learned- becomes a redeeming and surprising journey of self-discovery.
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Voices for Children Book Club
Tuesday, July 30
6:00 p.m.–7:30 p.m.
VFC Chesapeake Office
9370 Chesapeake Drive, San Diego
Our next selection is Safe: A Memoir of Fatherhood, Foster Care, and the Risks We Take for Family by Mark Daley. In this book, author Mark Daley documents his and his husband Jason’s life as they foster two young boys. They quickly realize that they are unprepared for the uncertainty and challenges of foster parenting. This story dives into the complex aspects of being foster parents such as potential reunification with the boys’ biological family, lessons about sacrifice, acceptance, and healing, and discusses the challenges of becoming a parent at the intersection of intergenerational trauma, inadequate social support, and systemic issues of prejudice. You will receive a small group credit for attending the book club meeting, in addition to the four independent study hours received for reading the book. Please RSVP for the book club meeting to Program Manager Nora Siklosi-Szabo at NoraS@speakupnow.org by July 22. If you read the selection but cannot attend the meeting, please email Nora to receive four independent study hours.
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The Real Word Speakers Panel
Wednesday, July 31
6:00 p.m.–7:30 p.m.
In Person or via Zoom
The Real Word Speakers Panel is comprised of young adults who currently live or have lived in foster care after experiencing abuse, abandonment, or neglect by their parents or caregivers. Featured Real Word speakers are courageous individuals who speak locally and nationally about life in the dependency system. Real Word speakers are open and forthright about their experiences and share what it’s like to move from home to home, how it feels to be separated from siblings, and how they coped in the face of adversity. They will inspire, humble, uplift, and move you as they share their personal stories and describe how the CASA program has impacted their lives as foster youth. Registration is required. To register, click here.
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Trauma-Informed Advocacy
Voices for Children's Trauma-Informed Care Committee brings you trauma-informed tips to apply during your time as a CASA.
Summer is here which means warmer weather and longer days. This season is a perfect time to relax and recharge, and it may be a great time to try out some mindful activities with your case youth. Practicing mindfulness allows children to concentrate without anything else distracting them, and can help them learn to pay attention and focus on their feelings. Everyday stressors can overwhelm and make it difficult for children to reflect and observe what is happening around them. Mindfulness does not have to be a chore; it can be fun, and easily incorporated into everyday activities. This list of summer activities will help you and your case child practice mindfulness while creating fun memories.
- Blow bubbles – practice deep breathing while you try to create the biggest bubble.
- Observe the clouds in the sky. Discuss what each one looks like, what shapes they make, and what colors they are.
- Build a sand castle and decorate it with shells. Observe the sand's texture and the shells' shapes and sizes.
- Take a walk and observe your surroundings. Name ten things you see during the walk.
- Read a book and talk about it. Focus on the details of the book, inside and outside.
- Color, draw while you are listening to music. Draw and color to the rhythm.
- Paint in the park. Use paper or paint on a pot and plant plants and seeds in it.
Culture in Our Community
VFC’s “Culture in Our Community" is an online guide for CASAs to find places to visit, upcoming events, local restaurants, and other resources to help connect youth in foster care with their culture or background. We encourage you to explore this resource and use it for upcoming outings. To access the online guide, click here.
Children's Activities
Many local events, activities, and attractions are available to Voices for Children youth for discounted or free admission. Learn about what activities you and your case youth may enjoy together by visiting our CASA Resource Portal, which can be accessed through CasaConnect; CasaConnect works best when accessed through Google Chrome. If you have any questions about the CASA Resource Portal, please reach out to your supervisor.
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CASA of the Month
Congratulations to our CASA of the Month, Jennifer M.! CASAs play a crucial role in the lives of children in foster care. They build a trusted one-on-one relationship with these children, consistently showing up, cultivating their interests, and advocating for them in court, school, and the community. This is precisely what CASA Jennifer has done for Jack, a 9-year-old boy who lights up whenever he sees CASA Jennifer cheering him on at one of his soccer games. To learn more about their journey together and how CASA Jennifer’s advocacy made it possible for Jack to finish a whole academic year without moving to a different school, click here.
On-Time Court Reports
Congratulations to CASA Barry Hill, our on-time court report winner for hearings scheduled in June! Barry has been assigned to his case youth since 2019.
VFC received 67 on-time court reports for hearings scheduled in June. Court reports are due 15 business days prior to the scheduled hearing. Submit your reports on time for a chance to win a Starbucks gift card.
5-Year Milestones
Congratulations to CASAs Connor Madden and Stacie Mittelman on achieving five years of CASA service! Voices for Children is grateful for the hundreds of hours you have dedicated to advocating for a total of four case youth in San Diego County.
Continuing Education Kudos
As we transition to our new fiscal year, Voices for Children wanted to take a moment to acknowledge those CASAs that went above and beyond with their continuing education hours in the past fiscal year. Continuing education ensures our CASAs have the most up to date information on resources and support to offer the youth we serve. This in turn allows for the best and most confident advocacy we can provide. We want to thank all of our CASAs who prioritized continuing education this year (and every year), but we want to highlight the top five CASAs who went well above the required 12 hours of continuing education hours!
1. Samantha Spears - 33.25 hours
2. Laura Weston - 29 hours
3. Vanessa Sanchez - 28 hours
4. Kathy Proctor - 26.5 hours
5. Linda Richardson Lowman - 26 hours
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Starfish Giving Circle
Voices for Children has launched the Starfish Giving Circle, a program designed to encourage recurring monthly donations. Donors can join the program with a monthly donation of $10 or more via credit card or Google Pay. The gift will be automatically deducted each month. Starfish Giving Circle members will receive exclusive Voices for Children communications, access to special promotions on merchandise, and invitations to exclusive events. For more information, click here.
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Fun Without Faces Photos
Our marketing team would love to share your youth's activities on our social media platforms. To submit your stories, please email photos with a description to your advocacy supervisor using the subject “Fun Without Faces.” Possible images include visits, celebrations, artwork they made, or photos taken by their caregiver.
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Tracking Outreach Efforts
In an effort to better track all of the outreach efforts on behalf of VFC, our recruitment team asks that you complete this brief form if you gave a presentation about VFC in June. This information will help us improve our recruitment efforts throughout the year.
Second Saturday
Every second Saturday of the month, we encourage our volunteers, staff, board members, and other supporters to showcase their VFC apparel. Join us by wearing yours on Saturday, July 13, to help spread awareness about Voices for Children.
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