At Piedmont CASA, the last twelve months have been challenging, rewarding, and thought-provoking. Take a brief tour through the experiences of our staff.

Meet our new Bridges to Success Coach
Interview by Cathy Eberly, CASA Volunteer
Ashlie Muñoz-Nieves joins Piedmont CASA

As she joins Piedmont CASA as a Bridges to Success coach, Ashlie Muñoz-Nieves is clear about what she hopes to achieve in her new position. She wants to build strong relationships with children whose lives have been impacted by trauma. And she wants to work in an environment where she’ll be encouraged to take care of herself.

Preview Virginia CASA's video featuring Piedmont CASA
This 30-second video from Virginia CASA features our own CASA Supervisor Sherri Rosser, and Stephen Perry, a young man in our Bridges to Success program. Thank you Sherri and Steve for telling us your story!

Our newest Piedmont CASA Volunteers
On May 31, 2022, Judge Barredo held the Induction Ceremony for the graduates of our Spring Training Class. They are flanked by CASA President Kate Duvall on the left and CASA Board Treasurer James Gelly on the right. (Mr. Gelly is also an Honorary PCASA Volunteer.) From left to right, the new Volunteers are Alexis Halley, Lisa Gorsch, Heidi Trebour, and Rebecca Pierce. Not shown: Tracy Morice. Congratulations everyone!

Kids need Kiwanis for bluebirds and cozy packs
Kate Duvall spoke at the Kiwanis Club of Charlottesville meeting on the evening of Monday, May 16. Photo left to right: Barb Ritter, Jim Hart, and Kate Duvall.
BLUEBIRD PROJECT SPONSORS

Kiwanis Club President Jim Hart presented Kate with a $500 check for The Bluebird Project. Their sponsorship enables us to offer prizes to winning bluebirds as well as raffle drawings for everyone who submitted a bluebird work of art.

Thanks to their support, we received over 160 bluebird works of art - thus meeting our goal of having one unique bluebird to represent each child in the foster care system in our community.

You can see many of the bluebirds here:
COZY PACK CREATORS

At the May 16 Kiwanis Club meeting, Barb Ritter unveiled the Cozy Packs she has been working on with Leah Cole, our program director. These Cozy Packs are for young men and women in our Bridges to Success program who are moving into their first apartment.

"For an eighteen-year-old taking those first crucial steps toward an independent life after years in foster care, it is a great relief to know that friends are ready to help. That they are not moving into an empty apartment because the seeds of a full life are being planted there." -- Leah Cole, Program Director

Thank you for being there
Zack Landsman takes the Volunteer section of our website to a new level

Thanks to the tech and design skills of Zack Landsman, the pcasa.org website now has a new section under construction - just for PCASA Volunteers. When it goes live in late summer, it will feature a calendar for events and webinars, useful information about service providers, and more.

Zack also did terrific work on The Bluebird Project - everything from designing the Bluebird Art page to creating a platform so folks could vote for their favorite bluebirds.

Last but not least, Zack designed a fabulous poster for our Pour It Forward Kick-Off Party at Random Row.

Zack is a PhD candidate at UVA.
Lily Lynch performs miracles in organizing our office and updating resources

It always happens.You look around and realize it is time - time to get all those papers and files under control. Fortunately, Lily Lynch came to our rescue. She rolled up her sleeves and dug in. The result is an office that is much more organized and efficient.

Lily also worked on updating a comprehensive list of service providers in the community for the new Volunteer-only section of our website, which will be completed in late summer.

Lily is a high school junior who spends summers in Charlottesville.
Theta hand-addresses envelopes for Spring Appeal

Once again, the UVA Delta Chi chapter of Kappa Alpha Theta came to our rescue and hand-addressed hundreds of envelopes for our spring appeal. Thank you Philanthropy Chair Helen Niles, Service Director Courtney Schoeb, and all the fabulous women of Theta Delta Chi!


Want to get more involved?
Join Friends of CASA!


To learn more about Friends of CASA - click here!
Advocating for vulnerable children in our community since 1995
PIEDMONT CASA | 434.971.7515 | VOLUNTEER@PCASA.ORG | PCASA.ORG

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