Congratulations to our new CASAs!

Please welcome our newly sworn-in advocates:

Suzanne A., Pam B-B., Jessica G., Sanya G., Vanessa H., Silvia R., Alicia R., Dave R., and Cheryl W.

CASA Community Member of the Week

Name: Wendy S.

Role: Co-Chair for Rockin’ the CASA 2011

Picture: (left to right) Kyle, Jason, Wendy, and Samantha

What interested you about the CASA program?

I love that there is an organization that gives a voice to children who cannot advocate for themselves. Children are so innocent and it is our duty to protect them.

Tell us a little bit about your previous Work and/or Volunteer Experience and/or Education:

I graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in Political Science. I worked for UofM as a non-profit recruitment coordinator until the birth of my daughter. After my first child was born, I became a full-time stay-at home mom. Now, I spend my time volunteering for various organizations that benefit foster children, I’m the Treasurer/Secretary of the PTO at my children’s school, and I volunteer in their classrooms.

Hobbies/Fun Fact(s) about Yourself:

My husband Jason and I have a 7 year old daughter named Samantha and a 5 year old son named Kyle. I love yoga, reading, and history.

What is your favorite quote of all time?

"He has a right to criticize, who has a heart to help." Abraham Lincoln

How did you hear about the CASA Program?

I actually first heard of the program on the Dr. Phil show!

Local CASA Success Story

I am a recently licensed foster mother in Washtenaw County and have had the great pleasure of working with Kathy P. who is the CASA for my new foster son. I wanted to reach out to all of you because I think it’s important for leaders to know about successes as much as they are notified when problems arise.

As I learned more about the CASA program and worked with Kathy, it became clear to me that she was modeling the CASA core values each and every moment. She has been and remains a vital team member in my child’s case.

I will not digress into the details of this particular case, but I can assure you that I am convinced that without Kathy, things would not have worked out and gone as smoothly as they have. She is truly only interested in the child’s highest good and has kept fiercely to that path and been a voice for him in times of great turmoil. She has developed key relationships and I’ve seen various other team members stop and take note of her voice, which then resulted in a key change in direction or a return to the path.

The CASA program is a fine example of a public/private partnership and Kathy P. is one of your shining stars.

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.

Julie Palmer

Congratulations, Maria!

Contributed by: Ava Adler

Maria, with her husband Eric L. and daughter Olivia Grace L.

In June, 2010, Maria R., a Washtenaw County CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate), married Eric L. at his mother's home in Gladwin, Michigan. Maria has been a CASA volunteer since November, 2007. She has worked on 3 cases while working on her undergraduate degree in psychology at Eastern Michigan University.

Congratulations to Maria and her family!

Maria, with her husband Eric L. and daughter Olivia Grace L.

Thank You, Kiwanis Club of Ann Arbor!

CASA of Washtenaw County received $2,000 from the Kiwanis Club, on behalf of the Children and Youth Services Committee. The award supports our Cinderella Fund, a fund established to provide for the special needs of the children assigned to CASA volunteers.

Thank you, Kiwanis Club!

Newest Addition to the Lunder family!

Please welcome Reagan Gabrielle L.!

Linda L., one of our Washtenaw County CASAs (Court Appointed Special Advocate), gave birth to Reagan on January 11, 2010 at 11:46 PM. She weighed 7 lbs. 3 oz. and was 20-1/4" long.

Congratulations to Linda and her family!

National CASA Grant

Congratulations to CASA of Washtenaw County for receiving a 2010 National CASA Association Capacity Building grant in the amount of $20,000.

Thank you, Rotary Club of Ann Arbor

Earlier this month, the Rotary Club of Ann Arbor awarded CASA of Washtenaw County $3,000 as one of the recipients of the 2010 - 2011 Community Service Grant.

Thank you, Rotary Club of Ann Arbor!

Patselas Photographs for CASA

Contributed by: Emily Mills

This week, long-time CASA supporter and former Board Member Jennifer Patselas photographed six of our CASA advocates for our upcoming screening of "The Blind Side" in recognition of May as National Foster Care Month.

Jennifer was able to capture the true essence of a CASA advocate in the setting where it all happens - the courtroom. Her portraits will be displayed in the lobby of the Michigan Theater on May 20th during our event and benefit screening.

We are very grateful to Jennifer for coming forward with the idea to donate portraits to CASA. In the next month, she will also be photographing some of our high school youth who may not be able to afford senior pictures. She has offered to donate a generous packet of photos to each senior as well as a 90-minute photographing session. What a gift to our kids! We can't thank you enough, Jennifer--for your time, your artistry, your generosity and your care.

Please be sure to get your tickets for the event and come see Jennifer's stunning portraits of our CASAs.

Remembering Nancy Abinojar (1957-2010)

Contributed by: Ava Adler

We have some sad news to report. Nancy Abinojar, a CASA volunteer since 2005, died on January 18th, after a long battle with ovarian cancer. She was a life-long resident of Ann Arbor and brought to our program her knowledge of, and history with, our community.

She graduated from and was employed by the University of Michigan, initially in the Department of Women's Studies. Eventually, she became the office manager at the new National Center for Institutional Diversity.

She grew up as one of the only Filipino American families living in Ann Arbor in the 1950s and 1960s. Her father, born in 1908, was also a U of M grad and they were both highlighted in the Filipino American History Project of Michigan.

Nancy worked on two cases with our CASA program, taking a leave of absence when she first became ill, but returning to her advocacy work when her health improved.

She will be missed.

Child Maltreatment 2008 Report

Contributed by: Donna Huntsman

April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS's) Administration for Children and Families has published a report: Child Maltreatment 2008.

The report, the latest in an annual series issued each April in observance of National Child Abuse Prevention Month, indicates that 2008 saw the lowest child victimization rate in five years. An estimated 772,000 children were victims of child abuse and neglect, a rate of 10.3 per 1,000 children, with almost a third of the victims less than four years old.

Cultural Competence and Diversity

Contributed by: Ava Adler

In an effort to promote cultural competency and diversity within the Washtenaw County Trial Courts CASA Program, a committee was formed made up of CASA volunteers and staff and community members who could help inform us in this arena. We met in December and January and came up with a plan aimed at both increasing the diversity of our volunteer pool and improving the training we offer in cultural competency.

Participants included two volunteer advocates (Venkat L. and Grace W.), Patricia Doty-White from the Alpha Wives organization, Pat Horne-McGee, director of the Washtenaw County Head Start Program, Donna Huntsman, Executive Director of Friends of CASA and Ava Adler, CASA Coordinator. The group brainstormed about organizations and events where we could do outreach for both volunteer recruitment and community education. Some of these included the University of Michigan Women of Color Task Force, African-American Fraternities and Sororities through their service clubs, Links, Inc (a volunteer organization of professional women of color and the church community.

We also identified the Eastern Michigan University School of Social Work and Education as a resource for a diversity curriculum and discussed some specific books and movies which could be used as part of that.

A list of contact people was generated and our next step will be to communicate with them and offer to do a presentation to their organization about CASA and the serious problem of neglect and abuse in our community.

If you would like to join our committee or have any ideas about moving this effort forward, please feel free to contact Ava Adler @ 734-222-3734 or adlera@ewashtenaw.org

CASA Community Member of the Week

Name: Sinead M.

Role: Board Fellow on Friends of CASA through University of Michigan Business School

What interested you about the CASA program?

I wanted to be able to continue to work within the nonprofit sector during my time at business school. Being able to work directly with Friends of CASA allows me to use some of the skills I am learning at school and immediately start making an impact.

Tell us a little bit about your previous Work and/or Volunteer Experience and/or Education:

I worked as a teacher through Teach for America for two years on the South Side of Chicago before returning to school at Stanford University and earning a Masters degree in Education Policy. After working for a few years in Palo Alto doing Education Policy research, I decided to attend business school at the University of Michigan in the hopes of one day being able to reform an entire school district.

Hobbies/Fun Fact(s) about Yourself:

I used to compete all around the world in Irish Dancing and placed in the World Irish Dancing Championships.

What is your favorite quote of all time?

"the best thing you've ever done for me is to help me live my life less seriously...it's only life after all." -indigo girls

How did you hear about the CASA Program?

Through the Board Fellows program at business school.

Our own “Good Voodoo Queen” Patricia Doty-White

Contributed by: Donna Huntsman

Walt Disney’s newest animation film, “The Princess and the Frog” is an American fairy tale inspiring young girls everywhere! The movie is set during the Jazz Age in the French Quarter of New Orleans with a star-studded cast. But what really makes this movie standout is the main character, Princess Tiana, the first African-American Disney princess, played by the actress Anika Noni Rose.

In the movie, a prince named Naveen is transformed into a frog by the evil voodoo magician Dr. Facilier. The frog prince mistakes a girl named Tiana for a princess and has her kiss him to break the spell. The kiss does not break the spell, and instead turns Tiana into a frog as well. The two of them must reach the good voodoo queen of the deepest, darkest part of the Bayou, Mama Odie, for help.

At Friends of CASA, we have discovered our own good voodoo queen, Patricia Doty-White.

Patricia has inspired five of our girls to visualize themselves as

princesses deserving the best this life has to offer. She has set a high standard for academic achievement while bringing big smiles and lots of hope to these five, young, African-American girls. Patricia presented each girl with her own tiara and a movie gift card to see the film with their CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate).

We are blessed to have such a wonderful supporter and a true believer that these kids deserve so much more out of life.