CASA Connection Newsletter
“When I entered the foster care system, I lost my brother and sister.”  Sam is one of our CASA kids.  Had CASA not been involved, Sam’s life would have looked much different.  You see, Sam is the oldest of 3 children and his mother was using drugs and neglecting Sam & his siblings.  Sam, an 11 year-old, was often left to care for the younger kids.  When he was removed from his mother he was separated from his brother and sister.  “Then I met "Maura", my CASA volunteer. She believed in me like no one ever had before. For the first time in my life, someone made me feel hopeful about my future.”
Sam’s younger brother and sister settled into the home of an appropriate family member, they did not feel that Sam would do well in this home.  Sam’s CASA advocate worked diligently to locate his father who had not been involved with Sam in several years.  Once Sam’s father was located it became evident that he had not known where Sam had been because Sam’s mother had stopped all communication and had moved multiple times.  Sam’s father thought he might never see Sam again.  Sam was reunited with his dad because of
the advocates dedication and advocacy.  Today, Sam still gets to visit his brother and sister and lives with his dad. Just think, Sam might still be stuck in a foster home!!!
CASA for KIDS makes this kind of hope possible every day by recruiting, training and supporting 30 of the 77,000 court-appointed special advocates like Maura who stand strong for more than 234,000 children in foster care nationwide. You can stand strong for abused and neglected kids today by making a contribution to the CASA  for KIDS.
It took some time, but Maura helped me find the closest thing I’ve ever known to a “forever family.” I now do “normal” kid things” and see my brother and sister all the time.”  Maura stuck with me every step of the way. She and my dad were as proud as they could be when I
Graduated to high school last year.
Every child deserves an advocate like Maura, but the majority of foster children in the U.S. – 400,000 of them – have no one.
CASA for KIDS is committed to fighting on until we have an advocate for every child in the system
 
With your contribution so far this year we have bought diapers for a grandparent, a bed for a child, clothing for a teenager who only had two pair of pants, and visited 72 children!!!
And that is just January 2nd thru 13th!!!!!!!!
You make it possible for all the work done here to reach so far--in miles and in the hearts of people!
Here is what your money has done:  6 new volunteers doing on line training and in house training, purchased meds for a child to last until the medicade can be transfered to the relative and put a smile on the face of countless children when we walk in the door with something..... "just for ME?"
Thank you.

We just graduated five new advocates!!!
Come sign up for
the
upcoming class--

You must have 12 hours documented a year to continue as a CASA so come and join us or get on line and send Rochelle the details of your research.

---

This report provides guiding principles on what a child in foster care needs to have a successful educational experience from infancy to post-secondary school. Academic stability is a vital part of a child's life and it is up to the individuals, including CASA volunteers, in that child' life to secure the best opportunities.
 
"When foster children are enrolled in a new school, we can't wait for an academic or behavior problem to appear before we assess and ascertain they have the best placement and are receiving all the support services they need." - The Texas Blueprint
 
CASA programs are encouraged to use this report to become more informed and to strengthen advocacy efforts on behalf of the children served.
Many teens in care are graduating this month without a supportive person in their life. Statistics show they are at a disadvantage.
 
For youth who age out of care alone, by the age of 21, according to Help One Child:
 

• 1 in 7 experience homelessness
• 50 percent will be unemployed
• 71 percent of women will become pregnant
• 77 percent of men will be arrested
• 20 percent of males will become career criminals
  (versus 5 percent of general population)

 
Continue to check with former youth to see how they are coping with the transition. For more information, click here. 
 
 

CASA's country swing

 

---

First one to call Rose and say they read her column gets a $20 gift card!!!!!

         
A “Fragrant” Word From CASA’s Rose


Boots & Big Hearts
 
If there is anything our great state, Texas, is known for, it’s all the boots and big hearts of its citizens. This is so evident in our own community. Just take time to notice how many folks have on some type of boot! It may be a “fashion statement” pair of boots or ones worn totally for practicality. It wouldn’t surprise me if our town tried to add boots to the Eifel Tower that sports the red western hat regaling standing at our Love Civic Center!
Did I also mention big hearts? That doesn’t mean anything to just hear that our community has lots of big hearts but when you are aware of how much money is generously donated to so many wonderful community agencies, you start to see the truth in this statement.
United Way sets its goal for over a half million dollars and surpasses this goal! Boys & Girls Club continues to be the benefactor of generous donors! CASA for Kids, our own agency, is blessed by the big hearts in our community! All of the Paris agencies and private fundraisers are supported by caring and loving people. The pocket books of our citizens are opened time and time again and never fail to support our town.
Our community recognizes the value that each community agency contributes to better the lives of our own citizens, whether it is filling a need of hunger or supplying a coat for a child. Money does go a long way in the betterment of our community. We all need it and yes, most of us couldn’t fulfill our mission without money.
I want our town to be known for the generosity of its TIME. Most volunteer work can be done in a few hours a week. Of course, these are valuable services and they make a big difference in many lives, however, volunteer work for CASA for KIDS is a little more demanding than most volunteer opportunities. In my opinion, it is also more rewarding. CASA deals with the most precious commodity our town has: our children. The children that are caught up in a situation through no fault of their own of physical, emotional and sexual abuse as well as just pure neglect and disregard for their well-being.
Every year, the state of Texas removes thousands of children from their homes because of abuse or neglect. Many of these children are removed from homes right here in our own community! These children are drawn into an overburdened child welfare system that is hard pressed to address their individual needs. CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) trains and supports volunteers to work with these children in their journey to a safe, permanent home.
The basic requirements to qualify as a CASA Advocate:
30 hours training – combination of online and in class or 30 hours in class
10 hours of documented court observation
Submit an application
Submit 3 references with addresses (please do not use relatives)
2 interviews with staff

############################################
 Look at our calendar page and see the new activities!!!! love ya, Rose
They say the longest journey starts with the first step and your first step to help  one of these children would be to contact CASA for KIDS. This can be done by  calling: 903-737-4346, by email: rosek.pariscasa@gmail.com, or logging on to our website:www.pariscasaforkids.org

---

golf tournament check from Kwik chek stores   $8,000

WHAT   DOES   IT   MEAN  . . .
 
Pay it Forward - You think I’m talking about money…but what this little phrase means is completely different than what the actual words imply.
Pay it Forward – means that if someone helps you out, in one way or another, you should “Pay it
Forward” by doing a good deed for someone else… possibly for someone you don’t even know. In other words, one good deed deserves another.
CASA for KIDS  -   You think I’m talking about a home that takes cares of kids, like a daycare center, or a place where kids go when they get in trouble. Properly translated CASA means – House, so it’s only natural for us to think that’s what it means, a House for kids.
 
However, CASA for KIDS actually stands for Court Appointed Special Advocate for Kindness, Integrity, Dependability, and Security. They are appointed by a Judge, to be the voice of an abused child in our courts of law.
 
Hmmm, you might think…what does that really mean.
 
Have you ever heard of a child being neglected because their parents are always drunk or high on drugs, that they never adequately feed the child or maintain proper hygiene?
Have you seen a kid with a bruise and wondered…did someone beat him/her or was it just a normal bruise kids get when they’re out playing around?
Is the child’s parent out of work and they take their frustrations out on their kids?
 
Has the child been sexually molested by someone in their own home, perhaps an uncle, a cousin, or maybe even their own parent?
Sadly, these are all too common occurrences in our society today. Sooner or later, these kids are yanked out of their homes and thrown into a never ending revolving door. A revolving door that encompasses foster homes, social workers, attorneys, therapists, counselors, new schools, new surroundings, strangers, etc. and a black plastic bag. (This is what they use to carry their personal belongings from Foster home to Foster home.) You would think the child would just love getting out of their awful situation and put into a more normal and stable environment. However, what most of these children yearn, or hope for, is for someone to just love them, listen to them, and help them get back into an environment with the people and things that are familiar to them. No matter how bad their situation is, they still love their parents and want to be in their own home, in their own bed, with their own things.
It’s hard for me to imagine being a little girl of 4, 5, 6 or 7 years old and having to sleep in a strange place with none of my own personal things except the clothes on my back.  How would you feel?

Court Appointed Special Advocates are these children’s only stable figure they can count on when they are faced with such a traumatic situation. These Advocates do whatever they can to try and figure out what would be in that child’s BEST interest. They meet with the parents. They visit other family members that may be able to care for the child while the parents try and get their act together. They meet with the foster families to see how the child is managing. They may even talk to their teachers to see how the child is doing in school. Whatever it takes to find a solution, that is in the BEST interest of the child, is what a Court Appointed Special Advocate does. Countless hours on the phone and in person, meeting with the child. Countless miles going back and forth visiting these children. Countless hours spent in court and in hearings. Countless hours of due diligence to make sure that child will be in a safe environment and will not live in fear of the past abuse. Countless hours of dedication….and they DON’T even get paid for it….
 
WHY do they do this?...  BECAUSE….SOMEONE  HAS TO BE THE VOICE OF THAT CHILD in court.
 
We need to take care of our children NOW or they may become the abuser in the future or the kid who is always in trouble with the law, or the teenage girl who keeps getting pregnant because she’s never known better.
Let’s ”Stop the Insanity” and let’s “Pay it Forward.” “Go the Extra Mile” and find out more about our “Court Appointed Special Advocates” and how YOU can help. We are looking for a “Few Good Men” and “Women” to make a difference in a child’s life and it doesn’t cost you anything except “Time.”
 
 
Eva M Curvino
One Child at a time.

     This is to tell our constant supporters what they have made possible so far this year!!  Thank you!
     With the signing of six new volunteers each $1000 gift supports a child and volunteer for a year:  mileage, Christmas, Birthdays, and camp for the child if it is age appropriate.
     Every $500 provides children living with family with needs over and above what grandparents and relatives can afford, so far we have shared shoes, a bed and diapers.
     Every manuel for volunteers and fingerprinting, records checks and training costs $250 just to vet and get a volunteer started on our training!  We just had six sign up for training!!! Thank you.
     $25 helps us recruit and run newspaper ads and stories, make and send fliers and posters for all three CASA for KIDS stations.           
     Red River, Delta and Lamar Counties each have a place to teach and where interested individules can sign up and take our classes.  Red River has the Lennox Center, our offices here in Paris, and Delta has the office of our board member Diane Stegall--directly across from the courthouse in Cooper--Modern Woodmen of America.
Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!