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.

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!