CASA Connection // Summer 2019 // Quarterly E-Newsletter

CASA Volunteers Bring Joy & Hope to Children

Dear , 

Every day, Heart of Missouri CASA volunteers bring hope to children facing the uncertainty of the foster care system. One special story a CASA shared with us recently demonstrates this. After knowing how excited Nicole* was about an upcoming event she had been practicing hard for  - and with concerns that Mom might not show - one of our CASA volunteers drove 2 hours (one-way) to cheer Nicole on. Watching the smile appear on Nicole's face when they made eye contact was a highlight our CASA will never forget. (*name changed)

17 New CASA Volunteers Sworn-In!

We were thrilled to welcome 17 NEW CASA volunteers as official officers of the court on June 6th and 7th! Eighteen more children now have an advocate, with more to come as the rest of the class gets appointed to new cases. 

Left to right: Jenn Burke, Angie Bass, Jermauri Faulkner, Courtney Rowden, Gina McGinnis, Sue Kopfle, Jodi Ganapathy, Leslie Abney, Andrea Wiggins, Todd Schapira, Amanda Van Dalsem, Kayla Simon, Shannyn Harris, Ellen Hummel, Tom McBride and Madison Spadarotto
Not pictured: Julie Geyer

CASA Team is Growing! 

We're extremely excited to have welcomed two new staff to our CASA team this summer! Eden DuPerier, our new Development Director, joined us at the end of June. Leah DiOrio, our new Boone County Advocate Supervisor, joined us mid-July. Eden and Leah both bring a wealth of knowledge and skills in their respective fields. We are thrilled with these hires and are excited about the increased capacity we have to advocate for more children in foster care. 

Eden DuPerier 

We are thrilled to welcome Eden DuPerier to the Heart of Missouri CASA team as she serves as our new (and first!) Development Director! Eden comes with a wealth of knowledge in fundraising and is excited about bringing in the resources Heart of Missouri CASA needs to continue growing so we can achieve our mission of providing a CASA volunteer to every child in foster care. Eden has over 11 years of development experience in higher education. Click here to learn more about Eden! 

Leah DiOrio

We are delighted to welcome Leah DiOrio to the Heart of Missouri CASA team as our new Boone County Advocate Supervisor! Leah brings to CASA an extensive legal background, which includes many years in family law and even several years’ experience volunteering with CASA in Washington, where she advocated for children in high conflict cases. Leah is currently completing her MSW and is excited about using her legal knowledge as she transitions to the social work field. Click here to learn more about Leah!

VOICES OF COLUMBIA - A HIT! 

The Voices of Columbia 2019 had a great first year, raising $32,000 to provide advocates for children in Boone and Callaway County foster care!

Thanks go to our fabulous singers and generous supporters who brought us a great evening to support our children!

Congratulations to our winner, The Burney Sisters, for raising $1,545!

Our 2nd place group, The January Lanterns, raised $1,390, and The Naturelles came in 3rd raising $1,250. 

These musicians entertained us all - for a great night to support Heart of Missouri CASA. Thanks to all of you! 

Thank you to VOX Magazine for this fabulous follow-up video! 

 

Thank you to our Hero Sponsor! 

 

Click here to view photos from the event! 

Voices of Callaway - ANOTHER Hit!

We'd like to thank all the delightful singers and generous supporters who made The Voices of Callaway 2019 a success!

Over $10,500 was raised to support children in foster care in Callaway County!

Congratulations to our winner, Molly Phillips, for raising over $2,000!

Our 2nd place, Jillian Bryant, raised $1,255 and Sabine Bastian at 3rd place brought in $1,144!

We had a close 4th place with McKenzie Bacon at $996.

All the ladies worked hard to support Heart of Missouri CASA and we're proud of them and thankful for their help! 

Click here to view photos from the event!  

New Volunteer Training

We'd love to talk with you about participating in our Fall 2019 training! We need 20 new volunteers to join this class. Please share with family and friends!

Fall 2019 New Volunteer Training:

  • 9/24/19: 5:30 – 6:30pm
  • 10/1/19: 5:30pm – 8:30pm
  • 10/8/19: 5:30pm – 8:30pm
  • 10/15/19: 5:30pm – 8:30pm
  • 10/22/19 5:30pm – 8:30pm
  • 10/29/19 5:30pm – 8:30pm

*New volunteer training is 30 hours, 15 in-person and 15 online. Classes held at Columbia CASA office. Online work completed in between in-person classes. 

Please apply by September 16th, at the latest, to get enrolled in class! Interviews will be scheduled after you apply. 

Watch this --> Encouragement from 5 CASA volunteers to become an Advocate!

CASA in the News 

Did you see our Executive Director on the Paul Pepper Show in May? Check out her interview HERE! 

 

New Office Space 

If you couldn't join us for our Open House in April, we'd love to show you the space! Reply to this email and we can set up a time to give you a tour! 

Check out the photos here!

2019 Progress 

Our goal in 2019 is to provide a CASA volunteer to 50% of the children in our local foster care system. We are currently serving 43%. To reach our goal, we need 20 new advocates to join our Fall Training! Will YOU be one?

Jan 1st - July 29th Update:

# of kids served - 243

# of new kids served - 69

# of children's cases closed - 35

# of active volunteers - 145
(5 currently in training!)

Lucky's Bags for Change 

Thank you for supporting us as a Lucky's Bags for Change Partner this past spring! $3,332 was raised, which will give 4 children in foster care a year of CASA advocacy!

Easy ways to help CASA 

Here are a few ways you can give more foster children a VOICE: 

  • Donate your Birthday on Facebook! Supporters raised over $2,000 in the last year through FB Birthday fundraisers, and we're extremely thankful for the support! 
  • Amazon Smile - When you shop on Amazon, always go through our smile.amazon.com link! smile.amazon.com/ch/20-2408567. Going through our Amazon Smile link costs you no extra money and gives a % of your purchases to CASA!
  • Gerbes Community Rewards Program:
    1. Visit http://www.gerbes.com 
    2. Log-in to your account
    3. Click on Community Rewards on left side
    4. Search for "HEART OF MISSOURI CASA" or "TW011" 
    5. Click Enroll
    6. Use your rewards card or phone number every time you shop and HOMCASA will receive a percentage donation!
  • You can donate securely anytime on our website at: https://www.homcasa.org/support/donate/

                                               

Proud Partners