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If you have problems viewing this email, go to the Newsletter Page of Georgia CASA's web site to view the e-newsletter.
CASA Online Connector July 2007
On Monday, July 2nd at the Capitol, Gov. Sonny Perdue held a bill signing ceremony for House Bill 270, which further clarifies CASA’s role in providing quality advocacy for children as well as outlines the responsibilities and limitations of CASA volunteers. These clear requirements will help ensure consistent, high quality advocacy across the state. A reception was held after the bill signing for all CASA attendees and special guests. Rep. David Ralston (R - Blue Ridge) was recognized for his leadership and support of CASA and House Bill 270. Click here to view a photo from the ceremony. Also during the 2007 legislative session, the CASA network in Georgia received a $225,000 increase in state funding.
Congratulations to Connie Stephens, Executive Director of the Hall-Dawson CASA Program in Gainesville. Connie was recognized at the National CASA Conference in Orlando in June as the Program Director of the Year nationwide! Connie has been the director of Hall-Dawson CASA, one of the first CASA programs in the state, since its inception in 1989. She is an exceptional leader among the CASA network and always shares ideas with other program directors about how to successfully manage a CASA program. She is also known as an outstanding advocate for children in her community. Visit National CASA's Awards of Excellence page for more information about Connie.
With April as National Child Abuse Prevention & Awareness Month and May as National Foster Care Month, many affiliate CASA programs hold child abuse and neglect/CASA awareness events as well as annual volunteer recognition events during this time of the year. 2007 was no exception - some of the events held included a duck derby, tennis tournament, Cookin' for Kids, golf tournament, 5-K run, evening of jazz and Light of Hope ceremony. Several programs also partnered with other area child welfare organizations on events and provided lunch for foster parents and case managers (DFCS) in appreciation of the work they do with abused and neglected children and CASA. In addition, CASA was a topic on two Atlanta-area TV stations' community affairs shows in April. Tara Daniels from DeKalb County CASA was a guest on The CW's Focus Atlanta and Chris Miller, Fulton County CASA Board member, was a guest on FOX5's Good Day Atlanta. Georgia CASA immediately received 20 inquiries about CASA as a result of the shows.
Did you know that 20% of the children in America's child welfare system are under age 1? Many of these children have 4-5 times the developmental delays of babies and toddlers who aren't in the system. The good news is that at such a young age, they are most open to change and one-on-one work between the parents and children can be very helpful in restoring healthy relationships. Many of the parents never had a good example of parenting to follow, so they simply don't know how to parent. Even though babies and toddlers don't have the verbal skills to clearly communicate, they can be understood by applying the science of early childhood development. Zero to Three, a national nonprofit that informs, educates and supports adults who influence the lives of babies and toddlers, has a great web site with many resources that advocates will find helpful when representing these children in court. Choose a key topic to learn more about and also request a free DVD of 'Helping Babies from the Bench: Using the Science of Early Childhood Development in Court'. The DVD may also be checked out from Georgia CASA by emailing lderhammer@gacasa.org.
Six new people have been elected to serve a three-year term on the Georgia CASA Board of Directors. Their terms began on July 1st. Welcome to the following new Board members:
--Child Advocate Conference, July 18-20, Atlanta Marriott Perimeter Center --Project Safe Childhood Summit, August 9, Atlanta (exact location to be announced), hosted by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia (Call 404-581-6102 for more information) --8th Annual Gulf States Victim Witness Conference, September 11-14, Hilton Sandestin Resort, Destin, FL (Call 404-581-6102 for more information) --It's My Life 5th Annual Conference (Casey Family Programs), September 30-October 2, Renaissance Waverly Hotel, Atlanta --Family Connection 9th Biennial Conference, October 24-26, Classic Center, Athens --Child Placement 8th Annual Conference, October 29-31, Augusta Marriott Hotel & Suites
Beacon of Light --Donate (To donate to an affiliate program, use the mail-in form on the site) |
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