CASA of Los Angeles has truly lost someone near and dear. Long time CASA volunteer Jan Miller passed away this September. Jan started her volunteerism with CASA of Los Angeles in 1994 and she has been a tenacious supporter of our work ever since.
Throughout the last 25 years, Jan has advocated for many children, served as a CCA in Shelter Care, provided guidance to other CASA’s as a peer coordinator, volunteered for outreach initiatives,was a member of the advisory council and supported the organization financially.
A memorial service for Jan will be held at the Brentwood Presbyterian Church (12000 San Vicente Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90049) on Saturday, October 19 at 2 PM.
In lieu of flowers, Jan’s family has asked that individuals please consider a contribution in honor of their mother to CASA of Los Angeles or to a charity of your choice.
If you would like more information, please click
here.
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CASA IN-SERVICE TRAINING
241.1 Dual Status
When:
Monday, October 7, 2019 at 12-2pm
Where:
CASA office in Monterey Park
Facilitator:
Jaryn Saritzky, JD and Isabel Daniels, JD from Children’s Law Center
Continuing Education Credits:
2 hours
Reproductive and Sexual Health for Foster Youth
When:
Thursday, October 24, 2019 at 12-1:30pm
Where:
CASA office in Monterey Park
Facilitator:
Luciana Svidler, J.D. Children’s Law Center
Continuing Education Credits:
1.5 hours
To RSVP for CASA In-Services, c
lick
here
.
To download recent In-Service handouts, click
here
.
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EXTERNAL TRAINING
Supporting Foster Youth to and Through College Webinar:
Thursday, October
10 at 1-2pm
For more information on trainings available in the community click
here
.
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BOOK CLUBS
San Gabriel Valley Book Club
Where:
CASA's home in Sierra Madre
When:
Saturday, October 26 at 1pm
We're Reading:
"Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir" by J. D. Vance
San Fernando Valley Book Club
Where:
CASA's home in Studio City
When:
Tuesday, November 12th at 7pm
We're Reading:
"Spare Parts: Four Mexican-American Teenagers, One Ugly Robot and The Battle for the American Dream'
by Joshua Davis
C
oastline Book Group
Where:
CASA's home in Santa Monica
When:
Wednesday, November 20 at 1pm
We're Reading
: "The Great Alone" by Kirstin Hannah
Want to host a book club?
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CASA CONNECTIONS
Social get-togethers organized by CASAs and for CASAs
Westside Coffee Connection
Where:
Station 59 Firehouse, West LA
When:
Saturday, November 9 at 9:45am-12pm
Want to host a CASA Connection?
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Get Ready for Wine+Art!
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Silent Auction Goes LIVE: Monday, October 18th
Party Time: Saturday, November 2nd
We are just one month away from our
6th Annual Wine+Art
, one of Southern California's largest art auction benefits!
What will be your favorite part of the night? Bidding on 150+ pieces of incredible artwork, savoring bites from some of LA's finest food vendors, sipping on delicious wine, beer, spirits and nonalcoholic samples? Or could it be that proceeds will go directly toward recruiting, training, and supporting even more CASA volunteers? Find out by booking your tickets for
Saturday, November 2nd
for only $50! (
Tickets will be $75.00 on event day
).
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We are also seeking volunteers to fill a number of roles on event day before, during, and after the fundraiser. If you are interested in being an integral part of this spectacular night, please contact Kelly Lozo at
klozo@casala.org
or call (323) 859-2888 x6365.
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Zelda's 750 West Speakeasy Benefit
CASA/LA and Zelda’s 750 West in the Antelope Valley are teaming up to serve children in Los Angeles County’s child welfare system! On
Friday, October 4th, 2019
enjoy some delicious drinks and tasty bites at Zelda’s speakeasy bar knowing that you’re making an impact. Simply show this
flyer
to your server and Zelda's will donate 15% of your bill to fund CASA/LA programming!
750 W Lancaster Blvd, Lancaster, CA 93534
Find us there from 5:00pm – 12:00pm
For questions, please contact Kelly Lozo at
klozo@casala.org
or call (323) 859-2888 x6353.
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Run the LA Big 5K
for CASA/LA!
Saturday, March 7th, 2020
This year, CASA of Los Angeles is proud to be an official Charity Partner of the LA Big 5K race, a fun and challenging loop through Elysian Park with scenic views of Downtown Los Angeles. By choosing to run for CASA/LA, you will raise money and awareness with every step you take!
Want to join our team? The process is simple:
- Visit bit.ly/LACharity2020 to register as a charity runner with CASA/LA by selecting CASA of Los Angeles from the list of charity teams and using the code CASA5K20 when prompted. By using our code, the $40 registration fee will be waived!
- Visit our website to create your personal fundraising page by clicking the "Become a Fundraiser" button. By joining CASA/LA's team you are committing to fundraise at least $350 -- an achievable and impactful amount that will go directly to our programming!
- Start running!
Visit our
website
for more information, or contact Kelly Lozo at
klozo@casala.org
or (323) 859-2888 x6353 for more information.
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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!
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Baby2Baby
CASA/LA has received a generous donation of “2 the Rescue Bundles” from our partner Baby2Baby. Each bundle contains clothing, blankets, toiletries and some toys. The bundles are arranged by gender and available for the children ages 1-12. These bundles are helpful for a child who has recently moved placements or the child of an expectant/parenting youth. If you are interested in claiming one of these bundles, please contact your advocate supervisor.
Scholarship Opportunity for CASA Youth
DEADLINE EXTENDED TO APPLY FOR THE AARON RUBEN SCHOLARSHIP!
Do you have a CASA youth who’s interested in attending college or vocational school this spring? If so, encourage him/her to apply for the Aaron Ruben Scholarship. The Aaron Ruben Scholarship was established through the generosity of Mr. Aaron Ruben in 2000. The scholarship was created to financially help students pursue higher education. For more information please see application for complete details or email Carolyn R. McGee, Advocacy Team Manager at
cmcgee@casala.org.
Application deadline is November 1, 2019.
Scholarship for Latino Seniors
Hispanic Heritage Foundation (HHF), established by the White House in 1987, is an award-winning nonprofit that identifies, inspires, prepares and positions Latino leaders in the classroom, community and workforce to meet America’s priorities. This year is the 21st Anniversary of their national Youth Awards educational grants program! The Youth Awards program will award students who are the graduating Class of 2020 with up to $3,500 in educational grants to fund their higher education or to a community-based project. Youth can apply
here
by the deadline, Tuesday, October 15th.
CASA/LA & Better Youth Media Workshop Series
CASA of Los Angeles is teaming up with
Better Youth
to offer a direct service to current and former CASA youth age 14-24. Our first collaboration is the CASA/LA & Better Youth Media Workshop Series, during which youth will have the opportunity to learn how to create digital media, utilize social media platforms to distribute digital content, follow digital safety measures to protect their digital footprint and privacy and more. Participating youth will also be able to attend film screenings, take a tour of professional studio spaces, meet with industry professionals, create a project portfolio for images and video and receive a certificate of completion. The CASA/LA & Better Youth Workshop Series aims to catalyze a community conversation and engage youth in care, their volunteers and mentors in a dialogue about relevant themes pertaining to the foster care experience. Though encouraged, youth are not obligated to attend every session in order to receive the certificate of completion. Email Alex Zambrano for more information azambrano
@casala.org
.
On July 26, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) issued a
notice
announcing a new housing opportunity for youth aging out of foster care, called the
Foster Youth to Independence (FYI) Initiative
. The initiative offers housing vouchers, called Tenant Protection Vouchers (TPVs), to public housing authorities (PHAs) to prevent or end homelessness among young adults under the age of 25 who have left or will leave the foster care system. The vouchers are only available to PHAs that are not already administering the Family Unification Program (FUP). Each PHA that applies is limited to a maximum of 25 vouchers each fiscal year and the vouchers may only be used to provide housing assistance for youth for a maximum of 36 months. Further information on eligibility and application requirements for FYI TPV funding is included in the
notice
. The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors passed a
motion
this week directing the Chief Executive Office Homeless Initiative to identify local eligible PHAs and offer technical assistance to the PHAs willing to apply for and operate the new housing vouchers. The National Center for Housing and Child Welfare (NCHCW) is hosting a webinar series to provide information on the FYI Initiative. Click
here
for more information and to register for their technical assistance webinars.
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"Right here, right now is where we draw the line.
The world is waking up. And change is coming..."
-Greta Thunberg
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