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.

Whole Foods CASA Appreciation Day

Contributed by: Donna Huntsman

WOW! We asked you to shop, shop, shop on Wednesday, September 16th and boy did you ever!

We had a great turn out at Whole Foods Market on Washtenaw Avenue. Whole Foods Market generously donated 5% of total sales raising $4,508.25 for Friends of CASA.

THANK YOU to everyone for your support and commitment to our CASA kids.

It was wonderful to see so many familiar faces shopping and supporting the most vulnerable population in our community – our CASA children who have suffered from abuse and neglect. “I forwarded the email reminder to all my co-workers,” I was told multiple times by donors and volunteers alike. And, it worked! Thank you for spreading the word and recruiting individuals unfamiliar with CASA to lend their support for the day.

It was a great way to bring attention and awareness to child abuse in our community. We had four individuals request more information on becoming a CASA advocate and several more interested in joining our mailing list.

A special thank you to MaryAnn N. and Thea E. at Whole Foods Market for making the event possible. Your support allows CASA to recruit, train and support advocates…a voice for a child!

Daimler Financial Services Jeans Day

Contributed by: Donna Huntsman

Daimler Financial Services selected CASA of Washtenaw as the recipient of their charity jeans’ day collection. Benefiting nonprofit organizations rotate on a monthly basis and Friends of CASA was nominated for the month of August as the charity beneficiary. Employees donated $240.00 and our CASA kids are the fortunate recipients of Daimler Financial Services’ commitment to social responsibility.

As a finance company, people might assume that ROI is strictly interpreted as Return on Investment. At Daimler Financial Services it means so much more: Return on Imagination, Return on Inspiration and Return on INVOLVEMENT. To the employees of Daimler Financial Services, being involved in the community is a vital part of their business.

Thank you to the employees of Daimler Financial Services for your commitment and belief in our mission. Your support makes it possible for CASA to recruit, train and support advocates…a voice for a child!

CASA Community Member of the Week

Name: Trevor B.
Role: Board Member – Secretary of the Friends of CASA
Picture: Trevor, with girlfriend Tracy R.


What interested you about the CASA program?
The mission of CASA immediately caught my attention. The fact they/we are able to have such a great impact on children that are less fortunate in the Washtenaw County area is very important to me.

Tell us a little bit about your previous Work and/or Volunteer Experience and/or Education:
I started my own Financial Practice in Ann Arbor about 5 years ago, which includes tax preparation, accounting, and other financial services. I was born and raised in Ann Arbor, MI, then attended Colorado State University, and returned to Ann Arbor about 6 years ago. I have coached baseball at the high school level well as some very successful youth baseball teams. I enjoy working with working with kids and making a difference in the local community.

Hobbies/Fun Fact(s) about Yourself:
I enjoy playing golf, softball, and reading books in the areas of finance and taxation.

What is your favorite quote of all time?
“A ship in the harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for.” – John Shedd
“What we learn with pleasure we never forget” – Louis Mercier

How did you hear about the CASA Program?

I had the pleasure of meeting Cheri Dunn (Friends of CASA board member), through a networking group that I created called A2BI. We started discussing CASA and its impact in Washtenaw County and the conversation sparked my interest. After talking to Cheri and Marianne and seeing their passion on this subject, there was no question this was something that I wanted to become involved with.

CASA Booth at Ann Arbor Art Fair 2009

Contributed by: Emily Mills


This year we traded in the red, white, and blue umbrella for a really (awesome) CASA tent. We enlisted the help of our attention-seeking "Forgotten Children" and fitted our table with a CASA tablecloth - which kindly doubled as a blanket for Angie (Friends of CASA board member) and me on Saturday morning.

While we didn't end up selling tickets for our Rockin' the CASA event, the save-the-date cards caught everyone's attention. Thank you, Cheri!! They are so fabulous! We recruited some volunteers and several more were interested in joining our mailing list for more information on CASA.

While I didn't get the opportunity to meet everyone who volunteered for the Art Fair, those I met were outstanding. I must extend a special thanks to Lakshmi (CASA volunteer) - Thank you for holding down the fort when the promised Art Fair storm hit.

I admit I'm sorta new to the nonprofit world, though I've been interested in it for some time. I'm not sure why I'm surprised by how great everyone is, but I guess it's because I haven't been somewhere before where everyone is really just so genuine and great. It's amazing. And I love it. I just admire and am so proud to get on board with the spirit of this work. The spirit of all the volunteers. And the spirit of the cause.

Thank you to everyone who joined me at the Art Fair and made our booth a success: Jane, Marianne, Lakshmi, Renee, Susan, Cheri, Trevor, Ava, Bob, Dean, Deb, Julie, Caroline, Gini, Linda, Angie, Donna...(and Renee, Gini, Donna, and Ava again) for all your time!

CASA Community Member of the Week

Name: Emily M.
Role: CASA AmeriCorps Associate

What interested you about the CASA program?

The opportunity to make a difference!

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

I am pleased and excited to be working in the non-profit sector for the first time.

Hobbies/Fun Fact(s) about Yourself:

I enjoy thrift stores, fixing and sprucing up run down old furniture, collaging, walking, photography and good company.

What is your favorite quote of all time?

"Throughout the ages man has but little heeded the advice of the wise men. He has been - fatefully, if not willfully - less virtuous, less constant, less rational, less peaceful than he knows how to be, than he is fully capable of being. He has been led astray from the ways of peace and brotherhood by his addiction to concepts and attitudes of narrow nationalism, racial and religious bigotry, greed and lust for power. Despite this, despite the almost continuous state of war to which bad human relations have condemned him, he has made steady progress. In his scientific genius, man has wrought material miracles and has transformed his world. He has harnessed nature and has developed great civilizations. But he has never learned very well how to live with himself. The values he has created have been predominantly materialistic; his spiritual values have lagged far behind. He has demonstrated little spiritual genius and has made little progress toward the realization of human brotherhood. In the contemporary atomic age, this could prove man's fatal weakness. Alfred Nobel, a half-century ago, foresaw with prophetic vision that if the complacent mankind of his day could, with equanimity, contemplate war, the day would soon inevitably come when man would be confronted with the fateful alternative of peace or reversion to the Dark Ages. Man may well ponder whether he has not now reached that stage. Man's inventive genius has so far outreached his reason - not his capacity to reason but his willingness to apply reason - that the peoples of the world find themselves precariously on the brink of total disaster."

--Ralph Bunche, Nobel Lecture, December 11, 1950

How did you hear about the CASA Program?

AmeriCorps.

Local CASA Volunteer's Success Story

Contributed by: Fran G.

I was given my first case in February of this year a family of three children: A 13-year-old boy with mild autism, a 9-year-old girl, and a 4-year-old, all living with a Great Grandmother (74 years old).

The children have lived with their great grandmother for 4 years. There were so many questions that needed to be answered and I found that I had the time to find those answers. The lawyers, and social workers all cared for the family but lacked the time to get to know the family as well as I could.

I found, for example, that the 13-year-old boy had missed 54 days of school and had been late for his first hour class 34 times. There were several reasons, and all were easy to fix.

He needed an alarm clock, needed to stop spending the night at his favorite Aunt's house, and needed to take responsibility. I told him he was not allowed to be late or miss school anymore. I was able to check daily via a computer how his grades were and his attendance, and so was he.

From that day on, he has not missed a day of school and is on time. His Great Grandmother needed some help also with her insurance and finding the programs that would help the children and her. I had the time to help her. The little sister needed to be in an outside activity, and with Ava's (CASA supervisor) help, she is now playing baseball; she loves it and they are winning every game! The little sister will also be going to a two-week YMCA summer camp and is so eager to go.

All this family needed was someone that had some time to help with a few issues. With CASA, the possibilities are endless. I had the support of their social workers, lawyer, and Ava. I also had the training that prepared me and the on-going seminars and meetings that support me.

It has been my privilege to be in this family's life and to be a CASA volunteer.

Alarm clock source, baseball picture source

2009 National CASA Conference

Contributed by: Donna Huntsman, Friends of CASA Executive Director

The room was a buzz. You could feel the excitement, the anticipation. Something big was about to take place…

Imagine being in a room with 1,400 devoted CASA supporters. Some are board members, some are volunteers, some are staff…but everyone is a child advocate. Those in attendance are from all over…Florida, Tennessee, New Jersey, Alaska, and Arkansas. Forty-eight states are represented. You look around the room and you can see a unique blend of people sharing their diverse backgrounds, accents and experiences.

Suddenly, everyone jumps to their feet and begin to applaud and holler as Dr. Phil and his wife Robin walk into the banquet hall.

This was my experience at the 2009 National CASA Conference – Taking advocacy to a higher level. The conference was held over four days, April 25-28th, in Denver, Colorado.

Dr. Phil McGraw, the host of the very successful syndicated daytime talk show DR. PHIL, and his wife Robin McGraw, were invited to give the key note address. They spoke to the need of getting every child in foster care a CASA volunteer. They thanked everyone for their commitment and challenged us to recruit 100,000 additional volunteers.

But, most importantly, they spoke of their commitment and desire to help CASA attain the goal of giving every child an advocate, a voice.

…everyone in the banquet hall was standing and applauding as Robin and Dr. Phil stepped off the stage. It was an invigorating experience to surround oneself with passionate people sharing the same belief and cause as you.

Dr. Phil Talks About the National CASA Program in his Show

Dr. Phil and Robin Thank CASA Volunteers

Spring 2009 Swearing In Ceremony

Contributed by: Ava Adler

Please welcome our new CASA volunteers:
Susan S., Kathleen O., Linda L., Jean P., Bruce J., Dean D., Renee S., Dorcas P., and Joyce T.

On April 7^th, Molly Schikora, Juvenile Court Referee, swore in 9 new CASA volunteers to serve as advocates for children in foster care in Washtenaw County. This is the biggest training class we’ve had in a couple years, and it includes two men, two foster parents and two adoptive parents. It also represents a wide range of interests and occupations including several engineers, an attorney, a phonics teacher, a volunteer church counselor, and an entrepreneur.

Bruce J., Kathleen O., Dean D., Dorcas P., Jean P., Susan S., Linda L., Joyce T. and Renee S. have joined our ranks and are in the process of being oriented to cases. We welcome them to our CASA family, which is growing!!

Please check out the Spring 2009 Swearing In Ceremony photo album below: