News & Media: Georgia CASA Conference | |
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Georgia CASA Conference 2012Be sure to view this page for new and updated information about parking as of 3/8/2012! The Georgia CASA Conference, I Am for the Child, will take place on Saturday, March 10 at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis (International Level).
Schedule At-A-Glance 8:30 - Registration Keynote Speaker Chadwick Sapenter is no stranger to adversity; in fact, he is a former foster youth who was nearly murdered on two different occasions. Chadwick is the author of two books, The Little Book of Words Every Foster Kid Should Know and The Little Book of Words Every Foster & Adoptive Parent Should Know. Chadwick is a 2009 nominee for the Casey Families Ruth Massigna award, a spokesperson for Texas CASA and a current member of the Texas Supreme Court Judicial Committee’s Commission for youth, families and children. His professional affiliations and his experience growing up as a teen in foster care give him a broad level of understanding regarding what it feels like to go through the foster care system as a child. His background gives him a deep appreciation for the tireless work done by legislatures, volunteers, state employees and agencies to improve the outcomes for youth during their time in the foster care system as well as after they’ve aged out. Chadwick has established a national reputation as a foster care and adoption expert. He is a compassionate, outspoken advocate for the plight of orphans across the world. Chadwick is the founder of Myfoco, Inc., a software company that connects youth leaving the foster care system to the people and resources they need. Chadwick is a father, a brother, a son, a volunteer coach and a mentor. Click here to visit Chadwick Sapenter's web site. Registration Registration has now closed. Location: Atlanta Marriott Marquis The conference will take place at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis (International Level) at 265 Peachtree Center Ave., NE, Atlanta, GA 30303-7402. To make reservations, click here or call 1-877-622-3056 and reference Georgia CASA State Conference to receive a room rate of $99/night. Directions and Parking You may want to coordinate driving/parking with others from your CASA program. The Atlanta Marriott Marquis has parking for overnight guests which will be discounted to $18/night. ***The parking garage at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis will be full on Saturday, March 10th and not available. There will be an overflow “self parking” in the SunTrust building located on Peachtree Center Avenue (just past Baker Street). Our discounted parking rate of $9 will still be honored and there will be a pre-pay parking table on the International Level for you to pay if you use this lot. There are also various parking lots within walking distance of the hotel as well. The closest is a LAZ parking lot at the corner of Courtland and John Portman Blvd. (formerly called Harris St.). If you park here, cross the street and you will enter the hotel on the International Level, which is where the conference will be. You can find other parking options by visiting Downtown Atlanta Parking. Click here for directions to the Atlanta Marriott Marquis. Workshops and Presenters Below is a listing of the workshops and presenters. For complete workshop descriptions, click here. Workshop Block I: 9:45 – 11:15 1. Concurrent Case Planning Sandra W. Miller, Juvenile Court Judge, Paulding County 2. What’s your role? Helping older youth make the transition out of foster care Kristen Sanchez, ILP Director, DFCS 3. Institutional Care and Cold Case Children Judge Sheri Roberts, Newton County Juvenile Court 4. The Impact of Maternal Substance Abuse on Child Development Dr. Karen Kuehn Howell, Assistant Professor, Emory University, Maternal Substance Abuse and Child Development Project 5. Building Relationships Across A Cultural Divide Tracy H. Evans, Diversity Manager, National CASA 6. Strategic Planning for CASA Agencies Mike Angstadt, Executive Director, Twin Cedars Youth and Family Services, Inc. 7. Power Your Program with CPRS George Li, Development Lead, Supreme Court of Georgia, Committee on Justice for Children Workshop Block II: 1:15 – 2:45 1. The Judge’s Panel 2. Understanding Psychological Evaluations Susan M. Hay, Psy.D., Licensed Psychologist, Private Practice/Atlanta Psychological Services 3. Fundraising Ann Barrett, Georgia CASA Board Member 4. Improving Financial Security for Children Aging Out of Foster Care Kirsten Widner, Barton Child Law & Policy Center, Emory University School of Law 5. The State of Child Welfare in Georgia Melissa Carter, Executive Director, Barton Child Law & Policy Center, Emory University School of Law 6. Reasonable Efforts, TPR, and Other Perspectives from a SAAG Sandra W. Miller, Juvenile Court Judge, Paulding County 7. DFCS Practice & Protocol Katherine Herren, DFCS Workshop Block III: 3:00 – 4:30 1. Do You Swear to … Make a Great Best Interest Recommendation? Patricia K. Buonodono (CWLS), Managing Attorney for Education, Georgia Supreme Court Committee on Justice for Children 2. Legislative Update Kirsten Widner, Barton Child Law & Policy Center, Emory University School of Law 3. Developing a Strong Board Paula Semple, Independent Consultant, Sweetrees 4. Here Are My Rights Anthony Reeves, MAAC/EmpowerMEnt 5. Unpacking National CASA’s Training Tool Bag! Terene Bennett, Training Specialist, National CASA 6. Meeting the Needs of Infants and Toddlers in Foster Care Peggy Walker, Juvenile Court Judge, Douglas County 7. Hunger and Poverty Issues in Georgia Chris Ferguson, Education and Outreach Coordinator, Atlanta Community Foodbank If you need more information or have questions, please contact Alicia Darden at Georgia CASA via email or phone at 404-874-2888 or 800-251-4012. |