Greetings!
One of the many great things about volunteers is sharing the endless and marvelous ways volunteers inspire and build community. I met CASA volunteer Nancy Osterhaus at the National CASA conference in Atlanta. Like many of our CASA volunteers (hello Mary Ann, Annie, Sharon and more), Nancy has helped youth who struggle with reading. Nancy finds original ways to inspire her youth while sharing remarkable experiences.
As many of you know, there is a strong link between animal welfare and child welfare. Laws protecting the well-being of animals came first, and are the foundation of many laws protecting children. Many of our volunteers the passion of child and animal welfare.
You are reading Nancy's story thanks to Joan Ruffino, a Kids Matter CASA volunteer who is also a writing instructor at UW-Milwaukee. Thank you Joan!
Sue
Susan Conwell, JD
Executive Director
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Reining in Brighter Futures
by Joan Ruffino
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Girls working with Nancy Osterhaus' horses.
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Once a Senior IT Manager coordinating systems and organizations, Nancy Osterhaus now spends her time in retirement managing a busy farm full of horses, friendly dogs, and lots of visiting children. Nancy lives in a rural county outside of Madison, Wisconsin where she keeps 4 Clydesdale horses and 2 running horses. Nancy knows that working with horses can be a transformative experience for children and others in the community, so she shares her horses widely in beautiful and surprising ways.
In addition to being a dedicated CASA volunteer for more than 10 years, Nancy teamed up with the Columbus Literacy Council to work with area youth, creating a program called “Reading and Riding.” In this program, Nancy created a compelling incentive for reluctant readers by establishing a connection between reading goals and the experience of working with horses.
Nancy welcomed kids to her home to read and write with her. She helped the children set achievable reading goals. Once those goals were met, the children were introduced to the horses. The children learned how to carefully approach a horse, to brush and groom, to safely mount and dismount, and eventually to ride a horse. They learned that—just like reading—working with horses is hard work, but worth it. The program was structured and rewarding and students responded well to it.
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"I am making my sister smart!"
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Nancy currently volunteers with 11-year-old “Kayla” and her 1-year-old sister. When Nancy first met Kayla, she was reading at a first grade level. Not surprisingly, Nancy recalls, “Kayla
hated
reading.” Nancy got involved with Kayla’s teachers and counselors at school, attending IEP meetings and learning that when Kayla was asked to read, she would, in the teacher’s words, “throw a fit” and disrupt the class so severely that she was sent to the principal’s office.
Nancy saw a possible solution for Kayla. Just as the Reading and Riding program had worked for youth from the Literacy Council, Nancy knew that her reading program could work for Kayla.
Nancy invited Kayla out to the stable and, after first doing some reading, Nancy began to teach her how to handle horses, practicing the gentleness and sensitivity that horses respond to. Once Kayla had gotten hooked on horses, Nancy wondered if she could get Kayla hooked on reading—or at least give reading a try.
It worked. In order to ride the horses, Kayla agreed to do some reading and a little writing. Over time, Nancy reports, “Kayla has made
tremendous
progress.”
This summer, Nancy teamed up with Kayla’s teachers to help Kayla prepare for her upcoming 6th grade year. Nancy obtained the books that Kayla would be reading in 6
th
grade and brought them to her home. In order to increase Kayla’s overall reading comprehension, the Literacy Coordinator advised Nancy to work with Kayla on predicting what would happen in the story as they read together.
While Nancy reads with Kayla, she has Kayla stop in the middle of the story to make a prediction. When reading chapter titles, Nancy asks Kayla to predict what the chapter will be about. In this way, Kayla is linking her prior knowledge to the story at hand, helping with overall comprehension.
In addition to reading comprehension, according to the Literacy Coordinator, these skills may help kids begin to predict the consequences of their own behavior, eventually developing a stronger sense of self-regulation. At first, as she focused on decoding words, Kayla struggled with the skill of prediction. But with practice, this became easier and her reading fluency and comprehension significantly increased. Nancy notes that Kayla has gained a great deal of confidence in reading books at her grade level.
That practice and confidence has led to one additional benefit: Kayla now reads Dr. Seuss books to her one-year-old sister. When told that babies thrive if they are read 2,000 books during early childhood, Kayla announced, “I am making my sister smart!” And while that may be true, nothing can replace the bonding that occurs between these two sisters as they read together. According to Nancy, “They just
adore
each other.”
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Nancy's "Reading and Riding" program has also facilitated unexpected friendships, somehow multiplying the joy and learning that was already happening on the farm.
Nancy knew that a horse show was coming to the area in a few months’ time. One group of girls who had worked together in Nancy’s stables was told that if they completed all of their assignments in school over a period of several months, she would take them all to a horse show. The assignments didn’t have to be perfect, Nancy reminded them, simply completed with confirmation from the teacher. Nancy had already used horse riding as an incentive to help kids work through the difficulties of reading. Now Nancy expanded the children’s practice of setting reading goals to include more general goal setting at school.
The girls were excited by the prospect of attending the horse show and worked hard to earn the trip. As the deadline approached and the outcome seemed uncertain, the girls encouraged each other to catch up on missing assignments. All of the girls did meet the goal, and in May, Nancy accompanied 6 proud girls, ages 11 to 16, to the Draft Horse Youth Congress in Madison. As Nancy recalls the day, it was fun and exuberant “with a lot of girls and giggling” as the girls experienced their first horse show.
When Nancy expanded her work to include children from both the Literacy Council as well as the children she works with as a CASA, she has given kids the wide open space they need to build knowledge, confidence, and lasting friendships.
Is there a volunteer story you want us to highlight? Resources in the community you want to learn more about? Send your ideas to
[email protected].
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Congratulations Summer CASA Class!
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We are so excited to match these new CASA volunteers with a child in need!
Bottom row (L to R): Judge Dedinsky, Hannah, Lance
Top row (L to R): Martha, Emma, Lauren, Maria, Robyn
Wraparound Milwaukee: Mental Health and Crisis Prevention CASA Continuing Education Opportunity
Join us during your lunch break on Wednesday, October 9th! Wraparound Milwaukee is a unique system of care for children with serious emotional, behavioral, and mental health needs and their families. It utilizes a “wrap-around” philosophy and approach which focus on strength-based, individualized care. A Wraparound trainer and supervisor have customized this training fit to the needs of CASA volunteers. We will bring light snacks but please feel free to bring your own lunch! Please RSVP by
emailing Nidhi
or calling 414-344-1220.
Date: Wednesday, October 9th from noon-1:30pm
Location: Children’s Court (Vel R. Phillips Juvenile Justice Center)-Room 1260
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Scholarship Available for CASA Volunteers: 2019 Summit on Poverty and SWIM Conference
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The event will merge Marquette’s Scaling Wellness in Milwaukee (SWIM) conference with SDC’s Summit on Poverty conference. Until now, the organizations held the events separately.
The Summit on Poverty and SWIM conference
is a catalyst for change as it creates a safe space for well-informed, honest discussion. The conference theme is Self-Reflection, Hope and Collective Impact. Participants will be encouraged to evaluate their own beliefs and biases. Together, we’ll look at how this impacts our work and the community. The conference also examines local, state and national policies that impact poverty and trauma. For more information, here are the links to the keynote speakers' bios:
Dr. Marc Lamont Hill
,
Rev. Dr. William J. Barber
,
Dr. Shaili Jain
and
Dr. Monica White
.
Date: October 7-8, 2019
Location: Wisconsin Center, 400 W Wisconsin Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53203
Kids Matter will offer a scholarship for one lucky CASA volunteer to attend!
Please email [email protected] or call 414-344-1220 by
Monday, September 23
to express interest!
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September Is Suicide Prevention Month
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Are you familiar with these suicide warning signs? If you see a loved one or colleague exhibiting any of these signs. get a "temperature check" on how they are doing. Start with. "Hey, how are you feeling?" Let the person know you care about them and are here to listen and support them. Don’t hesitate to use specific language, such as , “Are you thinking about killing yourself?” If the answer is yes or maybe, ask them what they feel most comfortable doing, whether it’s calling a crisis hotline or scheduling a counseling or doctor’s appointment.
Learn more at American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
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Do you have a loved one living with mental illness?
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What is the NAMI Family-to-Family Education Program?
- Free, 11-session education program for family, partners, friends and significant others of adults living with mental illness
- Taught by trained facilitators who are also family members who know what it is like to have a loved one living with mental illness
- Designed to help family members understand and support their loved one living with mental illness
- Includes information on schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depression and other mental health conditions
Dates: Wednesdays, Sept 11 – Nov 20
Time: 6:00pm-8:30pm
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Verizon Employees Donate School Supplies
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We ❤️ Verizon! We are so grateful to team Verizon for collecting back-to-school supplies for our kids. Thanks to you, our kids are looking forward to a great start to the school year! Also thanks to these terrific young helpers who delivered the supplies!
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Thanks Pigtails & Crewcuts!
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Our kids will go back to school with confidence thanks to the money raised by staff, customers, and supporters at Pigtails and Crewcuts: Haircuts for Kids-Brookfield! Thank you for bringing smiles and success to our kids!
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We’re grateful for our partners at Mattress Firm and the Ticket to Dream Foundation for another donation of school supplies, clothes and toys! Are you outside of Milwaukee but still want to donate and support foster youth? Find your local Mattress Firm - true friends to foster youth nationwide!
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Have you heard of The Smiley Barn Toy & Candy Store?
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Special thanks to Maria and our friends at
The Smiley Barn Toy & Candy Store
! As a foster parent and business owner, Maria is dedicated to helping foster youth have brighter futures! We had a great time with the Smiley Barn team at SmileyFest. We can't wait to share all the terrific donated toys with our kids to make even more smiles!
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Did you ever have a challenge that looked like a mountain to be climbed? Our dear friend and CASA Volunteer Emily Barbeau took our MOUNTAIN of closed files and created lasting order. What a way to make a difference! THANK YOU EMILY! Order and peace of mind – what a beautiful summer gift. All of our thanks and best wishes to Emily as she starts a new career as an elementary school teacher.
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Workplace Giving Is Starting!
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If you participate in United Way, Community Shares, Combined Federal Campaign, or the State Employee Combined Campaign you can select Kids Matter as your charity of choice! Thank you for your support!
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