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News
CASA Day at Atlanta Braves Game - 2009 Photos
Georgia CASA 2009 State Conference Workshop Handouts
Georgia CASA 2009 State Conference Photos 1
Georgia CASA 2009 State Conference Photos 2 (link to gallery)
Georgia CASA Luncheon & Fashion Show 2009 Photos
CASA and Foster Youth Day at the Capitol 2009 Photos
Volunteer Profile
Series of 20th Anniversary Celebration Articles
Videos
CASA on The CW's Focus Atlanta -Windows Media; August 2009
Everyday Heroes - CASA informational video- Windows Media
Georgia
Week In Review News Story- dial-up
users, Windows Media; July 2003
Georgia
Week In Review News Story-broadband
users, Windows Media; July 2003
Press Releases
Annual Georgia CASA Luncheon & Fashion Show - released 2/17/2010
Carroll County CASA 2009 Award of Excellence - released 4/6/2009
CASA for Children 2009 Award of Excellence - released 4/6/2009
SOWEGA CASA 2009 Award of Excellence - released 4/6/2009
2008 CASA Volunteer of the Year in Georgia - released 4/3/2009
Success Stories
Infants Thrive with Great-Grandmother
In middle Georgia, CASA volunteer Sadie* was assigned to a baby girl, Amber*, whose mother was affected by mental illness and could not care for her. Amber was placed with her great-grandmother. When Sadie visited them, she was comforted by the structured home environment. Wanting to make sure she was making a recommendation for placement that was in Amber’s best interests, Sadie searched for Amber’s mother several times to check on her capacity to take care of Amber. While her mother was hard to locate at times, she would eventually find her. Amber’s mother continued to struggle with mental health issues and could not appropriately take care of Amber. When Amber’s brother, Joshua*, was born, Sadie was assigned to him. He was also placed with his great-grandmother, who, along with other relatives, thanked Sadie for her diligence in advocating for the best interests of the children. Amber and Joshua are doing very well with their great-grandmother. At CASA volunteer Sadie’s recommendation, their great-grandmother was provided with the diagnosis of the mother’s mental health issues so she can be aware if Amber or Joshua show warning signs of mental illness and can be treated.
CASA Volunteer Helps Pre-Teen to Thrive
Sarina* was an eleven year old child in Western Georgia who was neglected by her parents and placed in foster care. She had lived her entire life thinking that peanut butter warmed in the microwave was a great dinner and that bathing with water from a bucket, along with brushing her teeth with the same water, was adequate hygiene. She lived in a home where extension wires ran to a neighboring home to provide electricity for appliances. Janessa* became Sarina’s CASA volunteer. She worked with Sarina to help her feel comfortable in her foster home, where Sarina learned to eat a wide variety of foods at the dining room table with her foster family. Sarina grasped the concept of personal hygiene needs, began to thrive in school and adapted well to the structured foster home environment. Thanks to the support of Janessa, Sarina is like any other pre-teen now. She is now in a home with her adoptive parents.
Boys Reunified with Father after Losing Mother
Two young boys in North Georgia, Jamey* and Jaden*, lost their mother at her untimely death. With their father in prison, the boys were placed in foster care and CASA volunteer Dan* was assigned to advocate for their best interests. Once he took the case, he realized that the boy’s father was not currently being considered as a possible option for placement once he was to be released from prison within a year. Dan visited the father in prison and found out that he truly loved his children and had never been given an opportunity to work on the goals he needed to meet in order to have them eventually live with him. Dan was instrumental in working with the father on the goals that he could complete while still incarcerated, including parenting classes, drug counseling and individual counseling. Once released from prison, the father moved to a halfway house and was able to find employment while continuing his counseling. Once his life was back on track, Jamey and Jaden began to visit with him. Thanks to the work of CASA volunteer Dan, the boys did not have to endure the loss of another parent – they were legally reunified with him.
Baby Samuel* Placed in Adoptive Home Based on CASA Volunteer’s Recommendation
In coastal Georgia, Melissa* was assigned as the CASA volunteer for baby Samuel*, who was placed in foster care due to physical abuse. Melissa thoroughly researched Samuel’s case, and firmly recommended that Samuel not be placed back with his mother, even though other parties to the case felt differently. Melissa decided that it would not be in Samuel’s best interests to be reunified with his mother due to her decision to stay with the perpetrator of the abuse as well as other poor life choices she had made. The judge ruled as Melissa had recommended and the court moved for the mother’s parental rights to be terminated. As it turned out, the other parties in the case ended up agreeing with the decision due to the subsequent actions of Samuel’s mother. Today, Samuel has been adopted into a safe home.
*Names have been changed for confidentiality reasons |
