REGISTER NOW FOR THE GEORGIA CASA CONFERENCE: AUGUST 13TH IN ATLANTA |
The Georgia CASA Conference will be held on Saturday, August 13th at the Renaissance Atlanta Waverly Hotel & Convention Center. You'll want to join us for the largest statewide CASA event in Georgia with CASA staff, board members, volunteers, and others from the child welfare arena, to network and learn best practices in child welfare. The day-long conference will include three workshop blocks, an Opening Session, and the Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon.
The following awards will be given: Established Program Award of Excellence, Innovative Program Award of Excellence, Board Member Leadership Award, CASA Champion Award, and CASA Volunteer of the Year in Georgia Award. The luncheon's keynote speaker will be Debi Grebenik, Ph.D., LCSW, Managing Director, Healing and Belonging with Alia. Additionally, the Volunteer of the Year nominees will be recognized at the luncheon.
A sampling of workshop topics includes Resources to Help Children Thrive, State of the Child Welfare System, How to Build a Trauma-Competent Organization (led by the keynote speaker), a Judges Panel (always a crowd favorite!), and Practical Empathy Strategies for Caring Professionals.
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CASA REUNIFICATION STORY SHARE |
CASA volunteer Maria was assigned to two young girls after their removal from their mother for inadequate supervision and allegations of physical abuse.
Following the CASA volunteer’s appointment to the case and with Maria’s collaborative nature, everyone on the children’s team was focused on ensuring the children’s needs were met and that services were in place for them as well as the mother. Throughout the life of the girls’ case, Maria worked jointly with several community partners to include law enforcement, medical providers of both girls, day care providers, and service providers, as well as reviewed medical notes, police reports, recommendations from assessments, and most importantly, worked to facilitate transportation to ensure that the mother could get the youngest child to her medical appointments at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.
With Maria’s support and cheerleading, the mother worked tirelessly on the goals of her case plan which included stable housing and income, counseling, parent aid service, negative monthly drug screens, meaningful family time with the children, and the resolution of her criminal charges. Maria advocated for services to include parenting and counseling and the mother learned parenting skills for young children and techniques to better manage stress and ultimately found her voice and left an unhealthy relationship. She began to build stronger relationships with her family and utilize them as a support system. After spending 259 days in foster care, the girls went home with their mother!
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WELCOME TO GEORGIA CASA'S NEW BOARD MEMBERS |
Welcome to the following new board members, who began their 3-year term of service on July 1st:
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Judge Anne Barnes, Court of Appeals of Georgia (Atlanta) - returning from one-year sabbatical
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Katherine Herndon, Truist (Atlanta)
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Julia Neighbors, Fulton County Juvenile Court (Atlanta) - returning from one-year sabbatical
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Jeff Sprinkle, Community Volunteer (Berkeley Lake/St. Simons)
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Danielle Wilkes, Junior Achievement of Georgia (Atlanta)
Congratulations to long-serving board member Bernadette Hartfield who has become a life board member.
Special acknowledgments are made to the following board officers:
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Mandira Mehra - served as Chair for past two years
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Lauren Hyatt - new Chair after serving as Vice Chair for past two years
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Kim Harrington - new Vice Chair
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Dianne Scoggins - continuing as Secretary
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Daniel Hathaway - continuing as Treasurer
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If you have not already, be sure to check out our Donor News Update that shares some accomplishment highlights during our fiscal year 2022 that recently concluded.
Thank you to our donors who supported the work of Georgia CASA for Spring 2022. Because of your investment, children in foster care in Georgia are assigned a CASA volunteer to provide best-interest advocacy. We truly appreciate your investment in children!
If you are not yet part of our donor group, you can give online here! Please consider becoming a Georgia CASA donor or give your next gift as a recurring donor. You can make a difference with a gift of any amount - and a recurring gift is an easy and convenient way to give! Your support is greatly appreciated!
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August 23 - 25: Training of the Facilitator (Macon)
November 30 - December 2: Save the Date: The Summit, Georgia's Child Welfare Conference (Alpharetta)
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Video About Becoming a CASA Volunteer in Georgia
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Interested in joining us to support CASA in Georgia?
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Check out these easy ways to support Georgia CASA. Our Kroger Community Rewards number is IY574 or search by our full name - Georgia Court Appointed Special Advocates.
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Georgia CASA | 404-874-2888 | 800-251-4012 | gacasa.org
In partnership with local affiliates, our goal is that every child who must enter state custody will benefit from the best interest advocacy of a trusted, consistent CASA volunteer. We remain dedicated to supporting the CASA network in the provision of CASA volunteers for every child who comes to the attention of the juvenile court due to abuse or neglect.
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