Monday, March 31, 2008

CASA of Washtenaw County Invites You...

Contributed by: Ferlie Yruma

UPDATE:
We would like to thank everyone who joined us at our first annual Pancake Supper! We especially would like to thank our CASA volunteers and the First United Methodist Church Youth Group for volunteering their time for a good cause!

Please check out the Pancake Supper photo album (right column of this blog) as well as video snippets of the event (CASAWashtenaw YouTube Channel).
__________________________________________________
What
: Join us for a Pancake Supper!
Who's Invited: Everyone
Where: First United Methodist Church of Ann Arbor
(120 S. State Street, Ann Arbor)
When: April 13th, 5 - 7 pm

$7 Adults
$5 Students
Children under 5 eat free!

We accept cash and check only at the door.

Skip the lines.
Buy tickets online!
Go to www.casawashtenaw.org/pancakesupper.

Saturday, March 29, 2008

Washtenaw County CASA Success Story

Although reunification was the goal, the Mother was not making progress in what she needed to do to get her children back.

The CASA Volunteer assigned to the case, who has a Master's degree in Social Work and previous work experience in the child welfare system, observed the Mom and determined that the Mom was depressed. The CASA volunteer asked for an evaluation of this issue.

Even though the Mom's attorney was defensive towards the request, a referral was made to the reunification program, and the Mom was evaluated for depression. She was found to be depressed and was put on medication.

She has made a turn-around and is now making good progress towards getting her children back.

Monday, March 24, 2008

CASA Community Member of the Week


Name: Sondra S.

Role: CASA Volunteer, Friends of CASA Volunteer


What interested you about the CASA Program?

My experiences working with Children's Advocacy have inspired me to become increasingly involved in the issues surrounding child welfare. When I heard of the opportunity to advocate for abused and neglected children, my perspectives on ethics and social justice were supported by the role of a CASA volunteer. This position to advocate and empower today's youth was an opportunity that I was immediately interested in.

Work Experience/Volunteer Experience/Education:

I am currently a senior at the University of Michigan School of Literature, Science, and the Arts. I am pre-law with a concentration in biopsychology. Throughout my time as an undergraduate, I have had the opportunity to become involved in a number of experiences that have helped to shape my interest.

This past summer, I had the opportunity of working as an Intern in the Pediatric Advocacy Clinic at the University of Michigan. This position exposed me to a number of advocacy cases that I worked on to organize and maintain for the law clinic.

I have also had the the chance to become a member of the Children's Advocacy Initiative at the University of Michigan Mott's Children's Hospital. As part of this program, I have worked to speak up for kids by communicating with legislators regarding improvements in the health and well-being of the children in Michigan.

Hobbies/Fun Fact(s) about Yourself:

I love to travel and I am currently working on becoming proficient in Spanish! I enjoy learning about different cultures and plan to someday go abroad. I also love taking pictures and going to concerts.

How did you hear about the CASA Program?

I was speaking with a friend of mine (who is also pre-law at the University of Michigan) when he mentioned I should look into CASA. We were discussing the different areas of law that we were interested in when he said that CASA seemed like it would be a great fit for me.

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

A Child Speaks: Who Am I?

Who Am I?

There was once a tree full of apples which was my family.
Then one day I fell off.
Some grownups came and put me in a pear tree.
Then I fell off.
A little boy came and put me in a tree with apples, pears, and
peaches.
Then I fell off.
Then I sat there forever wondering, who will pick me up next?
Where will I go?
Will I go where I belong?
Or will I waste my whole life living with fruits who I don't belong
with because they can't encourage me to accomplish my dreams, or
can't tell me who I am because they don't know who I am.
It's up to you.
Who am I?

Danielle Marie B. - age 14,
in foster care
(source)