Hi *{{Informal Name}}*, 

 

We want to start this letter by saying THANK YOU.  We have an amazing community. You bought tickets, shared it with your friends, and made Voices of Columbia a HUGE success by selling out the show!

 

Not only did you show up, you also gave GENEROUSLY. We raised more than 52,000!! This exceeded our original goal by more than $15,000. Wow! 

 

Our musicians were nothing short of phenomenal. Columbia is full of talent. Thanks to all of our bands for giving their time and talent so we could enjoy a great night of entertainment for a great cause!

 

We also want to thank our sponsors for their generous support so that we could pull all of this together. They are more proof of the amazing community we live and work in!

 

You exceeded our expectations and gave us so much hope for the future of hundreds of children in foster care. We are amazed, thankful, and can't wait for next year! Thank you again!

 

Visit our photo album on Facebook to see more photos from the night.

We want to say a special thank you to our Presenting Sponsor for Voices of Columbia 2021, KIA of Columbia. KIA's generosity made it possible for us to host such a successful fundraiser. We are so thankful for their support. The giveaways they did were amazing! A few lucky people won free gas, car washes, and oil changes for a YEAR!

CASA Mark was recently assigned his first case.  He learned he would be advocating for a 12 year old boy who currently lives in a residential facility. Sadly, this boy does not have a lot of close relationships with adults in his life.  They set up their first visit over Zoom and it was obvious right away that he and Mark were going to hit it off.  They played Jenga over Zoom, and each block had a "get to know you" question on it. Mark and and the boy got to know each other and laughed a lot as they played the game together. Before they ended their visit, the child's therapist told Mark she knew he had a great time because of how much he smiled and laughed. 

 

CASA volunteers make an impact in the lives of children in so many ways. From the court room to a game of Jenga, it all makes a difference. All children need to know there are adults who care about them and want to spend time with them. They need to know they have worth and dignity in the world when they often feel forgotten. Thank you, Mark, for being a tangible reminder of that to one 12 year boy. 

 

 

We held our annual Volunteer Appreciation Dinner on June 10th at the Twin Lakes Park pavilion. It was fun to see everyone in person and reconnect over dinner from Four Points Catering! We also got to hear from Commissioner Miller about the importance and value of CASA as judges make weighty decisions for children in the court system. 

 

"You remind us of community. You remind us how we, as a community, want to treat our children."

                       

                        - Commissioner Miller

 

 

 

Cheers to 5 Years! Congrats to these amazing CASAs who just celebrated their 5 year anniversary. Pictured here: Linda Williams, Mary Hoskins, and Joy Naeger. Also celebrating 5 years: Nikki Aguero, Julie Anne Mattson, Julie Wesley, Christa Edwards, Melanie Pezold, Mary Wright, and Milly Biggs. Thank you for faithfully serving children in the Callaway and Boone county court system for five years!

Our June training class is kicking off this week. If you missed the deadline this time, don't worry! You can jump in on the next round. The next class will be in-person and will kick off on August 12th. Class size will be limited, so sign up as soon as possible to secure your spot! For more information, call us at (573) 442-4670, email us at hello@homcasa.org, or register for one of our no-obligation information sessions.

 

If you are ready to apply now, you can do so on our website!

 

IN-PERSON CLASS DATES:

8/12/21: Training Kick-off 1:00-2:00 pm

8/19/21: Session 1: 1:00-4:00 pm

8/26/21: Session 2: 1:00-4:00 pm

9/2/21: Session 3: 1:00-4:00 pm

9/9/21: Session 4: 1:00-4:00 pm

9/16/21: Session 5: 1:00-4:00 pm

 

Training is 30 hours. 15 hours are in-person and 15 are in an online system between in-person sessions.