Hi *{{Informal Name}}*,

I hope you are having a great week so far! A new school year is upon us and soon kids will be putting away their flip flops and swimming suits pulling out their tennis shoes and backpacks. I have been school shopping with my kids over the last week and it's a jungle out there. If that's still on your to do list this week, as they say in The Hunger Games, "may the odds be ever in your favor."

Thousands of kids, teachers, school staff, parents, and caregivers in the area will be finding a new routine and probably feeling extra tired over the next few weeks. Remember to take care of yourself and be kind to each other!

In the meantime, I hope you will take a few moments to check out one of the most touching adoption stories and see the faces of some amazing volunteers who are stepping up to be a powerful voice for children and youth in foster care. Thanks for being a friend of CASA!

Sincerely,

Angela Carson

Development and Marketing Manager

Heart of Missouri CASA

Finding Their Happily Ever After

"Cheyanne waited 6 years for her forever family, and unknowingly I had been waiting 10 years for her. I couldn’t have asked for a better kid, really. I’m so thankful for her." -Jessica Miller

After 2,163 days in foster care, 8 placements, and 11 case worker changes, Cheyanne finally found the permanency and love she has always deserved. She wanted her and her mom to be princesses that day, and they absolutely were. Tiaras and all.

Jessica also had this to say about Cheyanne's longtime CASA, Melanie. "Melanie was a phenomenal resource to us through this process. Because of Cheyanne's long history in care, much of her story was lost. Melanie has been the best history giver, and she also was a support to me during some behavioral upsets, struggles with bio relations, and general parenting struggles. I felt I had a support and a friend as we worked toward what was best for Cheyanne. Cheyanne has very few prized possessions, but most of them came from Melanie. She has recognized that Melanie was there throughout a huge part of her life, and that special place will never be forgotten."

We couldn't love this any more! Thank you to Jessica Miller for so generously sharing a piece of their story and this photo from their adoption day. Every kid in foster care needs someone like Jess and Melanie in their life!

Photo credit: April Heckemeyer

Amazon Wish List for CASA

We need your help! When CASA volunteers visit kids, they often take a book, game, puzzle, or craft to do with them. We like to keep some of those things on hand at our office for volunteers to check our for visits or give to children. Kids and teenagers seem to open up more when they are doing an activity with someone. This is such an easy way to support the work our CASAs do! Our supply shelves are looking bare so we are asking our friends to help us fill it back up. We have an Amazon Wish List that you can order from and the items will be shipped directly to our office. Contributions large or small will make a difference!

One last thing! Before you shop, go to smile.amazon.com and choose Heart of Missouri CASA as your charity to support. Amazon will donate 0.5% to the charity of your choice when you choose one through Amazon Smile. You can set it and forget it!

New CASA Volunteers and Case Assignments!

July was a busy month for CASA! 11 new volunteers were sworn in by Judge Schneider and are ready to advocate for a child in foster care. We also had several new case assignments over the last couple of months, and these are just a few! A huge thanks and round of applause for these community members who are making a difference in the lives of the most vulnerable children and youth. It's a big commitment with an even bigger impact. We're so glad to have them on the team!

Join Our Next Volunteer Training

Are you ready to take the next step and become a CASA? Our next available class is set to begin on October 13th! 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.

10/13/2022: Kick-off 5:30-6:30 pm
10/20/2022: Session 1: 5:30-8:30 pm
10/27/2022: Session 2: 5:30-8:30 pm
11/3/2022: Session 3: 5:30-8:30 pm
11/10/2022: Session 4: 5:30-8:30 pm
11/17/2022: Session 5: 5:30-8:30 pm

Training is made up of 15 hours in-person and 15 hours online.

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