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1311 Jamestown Road
Suite 201
Williamsburg, VA 23185
(757) 229-3306
(757) 229-3972 FAX
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The Voice |
| Colonial CASA's E-Newsletter
Volume I, Issue 08
August 2, 2006
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| Things at Colonial CASA are starting to spice up! The Board of Directors has identified a new Executive Director, and she is set to begin September 5th. Colonial CASA will host the state CASA Conference in October, the Fall 2006 training class is starting to fill up, kids are raising money for CASA kids, and we recently received 2 new cases....phew! Aren't you excited to be part of an organization constantly moving!?! |
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In This Issue... |
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Pencil It In... |
- Aug 8-9: Women's Charity Tennis Classic
- Aug 14: Monthly Meeting, 11:30am
- Sept 5: CASA's New Executive Director Starts
- Sept 11: Monthly Meeting, 11:30am
- Sept 27: New Education Training Starts
- Oct 13-14: State CASA Conference
"As we think about the more than 500,000 children who are currently in the foster care system, and ways we can help them, I encourage you to embrace your ignorance. Learn from the child who hasn’t been given a fair shake at life. You know if you get through to him you can make a difference in his life— but first, give him a chance to make a difference in yours."
~ Michael Piraino, CEO of National CASA
To Access Colonial CASA's Calendar, Click Here.
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Colonial CASA Welcomes Its New Executive Director |
 Colonial CASA's Board of Directors is pleased to announce that its Executive Director search has come to a close. The Board has identified Rebecca Bresee as Colonial CASA's Executive Director. Rebecca has met the Board, the staff, and a few advocates and is excited to meet you all.
Rebecca's personal and professional experiences make Colonial CASA a great fit. In 2005, she chaired a local grants committee and facilitated a $25,000 award to Colonial CASA. Thus, her knowledge of the Program and ability to advocate for it, is already extensive! Rebecca shares her enthusiasm for being a part of the Colonial CASA team:
I am excited to introduce myself to the Colonial CASA family and begin my new duties in September! I know Colonial CASA will miss Robin, and that she is leaving big shoes to fill... I am honored to serve CASA and the children of our community as the challenges ahead emerge. My interest in the CASA program began some time ago while serving on my parish’s grants committee. In 2005, I was able to facilitate a major award to Colonial CASA, and so, being an advocate already, it feels so right to join this wonderful and effective team. I have had much experience in the non-profit world, both as an agency director and as a grant reviewer and am well aware of the challenges CASA undoubtedly faces as it aims to fulfill its mission and grow. Recent years have called me to focus on the needs of my children, and I have served my family in many ways - wife, mother, advocate, volunteer, community leader and business owner. I believe that these experiences, combined with my educational background, provide me with an excellent range of skills with which to serve Colonial CASA. I will do my utmost to serve you all well, both in-house and in the community. Please stop by after September 5th to introduce yourself. I am anxious to meet you all and hear how I can best serve our CASA family. Until then, enjoy these last weeks of summer and keep up the good work!
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JCC Rotary Club Presents Colonial CASA with $7,000
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 As many of you know, the James City County Rotary Club is an avid supporter of Colonial CASA and its mission. It held its 7th Annual Charity Auction and Wine Tasting Event in March, 2006 to benefit Colonial CASA. The Event raised a total of $7,000 for Colonial CASA! We are thankful for the relationship we have and support we receive from the James City County Rotary!
This picture features Bob Smith, a current member of the Colonial CASA Board of Directors and member of the James City County Rotary, with Donna Dittman Hale, Colonial CASA's Interim Director, and a large check representing their even larger generosity!
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Colonial CASA's Auxiliary Continues to Spread the Spirit of Giving
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 Colonial CASA's Auxiliary Group, the Spirit of Giving, continues to bring CASA children "a sense of hope, health and well-being, as members of the community from members of the community."
Currently, they are preparing to provide 7 CASA families, 10 middle- school aged children, with backpacks and school supplies for the 2006-2007 school year.
The Spirit of Giving hopes to continue growing, where one day, they can provide each CASA child with these simple tools to aid in their education, their future, and let them know that someone cares.
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Two Rivers Swim Team Raises $4,167.19 for Colonial CASA |
 The members of the Two Rivers Swim Team wanted to give back. They came up with an idea for a fundraiser, Kids Helping Kids. This July, the Two Rivers Typhoons held a Swim-A-Thon to benefit the children of Colonial CASA. Their hard work really paid off, and they managed to raise $4,167.19 for Colonial CASA! Even better, they hope to do it again next year!
Colonial CASA would like to thank Kirsten Nellis, TJ Cardwell, and Robin Bledsoe, who organized and supported this effort. And, of course, the kids who swam to help others, the Two Rivers Typhoons swim team.
See Full Picture, Click Here |
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Get CASA-ed Out! |
 With the buzz surrounding the Virginia State CASA Conference in October, Colonial CASA has come up with creative ways to spread awareness of the program and, hopefully, "cash in" on some of the CASA mania!
Currently, we have great CASA tote bags, available at the office and on our website, for $10 each. We are planning on selling these classic totes at the state conference. If you are craving the hottest new thing in beach totes...contact the CASA staff because this is it!
Colonial CASA sells Holiday Cards every year to its
volunteers and GALs as a way to continue spreading
the CASA word and as a small fundraiser. This year,
we hope to really launch this fundraiser into bigger
and better leagues! The local Kappa Alpha
Theta Alumnae chapter hopes to take this on as a
fundraiser for Colonial CASA.
The cards, designed by CASA
children and produced by CASA programs, are now
available on the
website. The cost is $16 per box of 20 cards. Half of the proceeds ($8 per box) go directly to the Colonial CASA program and the other half to the CASA program that produces them. What better way to spread holiday cheer than by purchasing your cards from CASA?
See the Bags and Cards, Click Here
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Register for the Virginia CASA Conference TODAY! |
 As you know, the Virginia State CASA Conference is coming to Williamsburg, Virginia in October, 2006. The Williamsburg Health Foundation has awarded us a grant to pay for each Colonial CASA advocate and staff member to attend the Conference.
To register for the Conference, October 13-14, email Barbara McElroy, Program Specialist, or call 757-229-3306. You must register through the office to have Colonial CASA pay your registration fee.
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Colonial CASA Places Priority on Open Communication, July Monthly Meeting Minutes |
Were you unable to make last month's Monthly Meeting? If so, this article should provide you with all the information you need: important updates, questions, etc. Please join us for the August Monthly Meeting on August 14, 2006 from 11:30am to 1:00pm.
Program Update:
- Interim Executive Director Update. Donna Dittman Hale offered her excitement to be here with the Colonial CASA program. She has spent the last 8 years as the program officer for the Williamsburg Health Foundation. Through that job, she has had the advantage of watching the progress of Colonial CASA during the past 6-8 years at a bird’s eye view. She has seen the evolution of the program as it has become a stable presence in the community and making a difference in the lives of the children and families it serves. Donna is excited to be a part of the team and will be here for a few months as the Board of Directors’ Search Committee continues the search for a permanent replacement. Donna has had the benefit of working with nonprofit agencies in the past. Her key goals are to ensure a smooth transition to the new Executive Director, to keep all necessary wheels in motion, to ensure all grants and grant monies are being maintained while seeking for additional grant opportunities. Donna is also an independent non-profit consultant and, as such, she will be completing an organizational assessment, identifying the strengths and weaknesses within CASA for further program improvement.
- Additional CASA Monies. This year, as Virginia’s General Assembly approved the budget for the next fiscal year, additional funds were identified for CASA programs. Donna announced that Colonial CASA may look to spend this money toward a new computer server, roughly $3,000. These additional funds will be designated as part of the Department of Criminal Justice (DCJS), CASA’s regulatory agency, via a formula grant based on the number of children we serve.
- James City County Rotary Club. The James City County Rotary Club is an avid supporter of Colonial CASA and consistently has a member serving on the Board of Directors. In March, 2006, their annual auction raised $7,000 to benefit Colonial CASA. Donna Dittman Hale, Interim Executive Director, will pick up the check this week.
- Virginia State CASA Conference. The Biannual Virginia state CASA conference will be held in Williamsburg, Virginia this year. As the “hosting” city, Colonial CASA will be heavily involved. As such, prior to leaving for Avalon, then Executive Director
- Women’s Charity Tennis Classic. The Women’s Charity Tennis Classic to benefit Colonial CASA and Avalon will be held this August.
- Cultural Awareness Campaign. Colonial CASA is currently in the midst of launching a Cultural Awareness Campaign to address the issue of diversity amongst its volunteer base. Currently, over 50% of CASA families are of color, while less than 15% of our volunteers are. In an effort to increase the diversity amongst its volunteers, Colonial CASA applied for, received, and is currently executing a grant to do just that. Colonial CASA staff are working with Howell Design Group to create a cultural awareness campaign to include newspaper ads, brochures, posters, etc. If you would like to see a copy of these materials, draft versions are available at the CASA office. The campaign is set to launch in August. If you are interested in helping with the campaign, please contact Colonial CASA staff, 757- 229-3306.
Volunteer Questions and Concerns:
- Having an Interview Taped. A CASA volunteer asked about a current situation where a parent requested that she tape the interview. Sarah Serra, Volunteer Coordinator, told the CASA volunteer that, currently, there is no policy on this issue and there does not seem to be a glaring problem with it. However, if the CASA volunteer felt that confidential information was being disclosed and did not want a recorded record of it, he/she should request the tape recorder be turned off during that portion.
- Court Services Unit. A CASA volunteer asked for advice on a current case with an out of control 13-year-old. He is to have a meeting with Court Services Unit as a consequence to a recent altercation with a peer and wanted additional information on this piece of the system. Sarah Serra, Volunteer Coordinator, offered that Colonial Services Unit (CSU) wears many hats. They do a lot of prevention work, work as probation officers to youth, etc. During this meeting, the CASA volunteer is entitled to attend, but it is encouraged that he attends as an observer and not as an “active participant.”
- CASA Parent Feeling Therapy Not Effective. A CASA volunteer asked for the opinion/advice of staff and other volunteers in a situation where all of the information they provide to their individual counselor is made public and relayed to both CASA and DSS. This volunteer believes that the service provider gave away information beyond what was necessary and the parent currently does not trust the counselor and, thus, therapy has come to a stand still. The CASA staff and volunteers told the volunteer that the parent can always ask to be switched to a counselor who is, perhaps, a little more guarded with these issues. Even though the parent signed away her right to confidentiality due to her involvement with DSS, she could certainly request a different counselor.
- Phones. A CASA volunteer asked about the importance of keeping a home phone number private. CASA staff reiterated that it is not CASA policy for volunteers to give away their personal phone numbers. If they do not want their home phone number appearing on their client’s caller ID, they are always welcome to use the phones at the CASA office to conduct CASA business. Sarah Serra, Volunteer Coordinator, offered that in her 10 years with the program, she has never encountered a problem with clients misusing a volunteer’s number.
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Program Policy Update: MMRs Due 1st of Each Month |
 Colonial CASA is constantly assessing and evaluating its program policies to determine what the most effective ways are to serve its volunteers, the clients they represent, and the funders who keep it all moving. As you all know, the MMR, or Monthly Monitoring Report, provides a CASA Advocate's supervisor important information regarding the case as well as providing the program important statistical information on the hours advocates spend per case and how they spend them.
Colonial CASA reports all of these statistics in grant applications and, if funded, back to the funding organization to keep them abreast on the changes their funding makes. As such, Colonial CASA staff has decided to move the deadline up from the 5th of every month to the 1st of every month to provide supervisors a little extra time to enter their data into the database before the Executive Director extracts it for reporting purposes. If the data is not entered on time, it cannot be used for reporting purposes and is thus "lost" to funders. So, in an effort to better serve our funders, we hope you all, our advocates, will be able to turn in your MMRs a few days early with as little imposition as possible. |
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Colonial CASA's Wish List |
 And now for the most recent addition to the newsletter: Colonial CASA's Wish List. Do you have things lying around your house that you no longer need but want them to have a good home? Currently, these are the supplies the office is wishing for:
- Coffee Maker
- Microwave
- Vacuum Cleaner
- Printer
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Quick Links |
| Colonial CASA's Website
State CASA Conference Information
National CASA
CASA Net
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