Uncategorized | CASA of the Continental Divide

Fall Newsletter

Melissa Kiel — Tue, 11 May 2021 20:45:02 +0000

Happy Holidays!

Throughout these past months we have all had to use a little more effort and show a little more grace. We wish you all health and happiness throughout the holiday season and look forward to a time when we can gather again.

During these holidays we are particularly thankful to our supporters. We could not do what we do without the financial support we receive. Large or small, grant or individual donation, we appreciate the funding to support the children who need us the most.

To see a list of our amazing donors please Visit our Website!

Changes to the Board

With the end of 2020 we say goodbye to three long-time board members:

April-Dawn Knudsen

Tom Marmins

Imane Deininger

We cannot thank them enough for their years of support, service, and passion for the work we do.

While April-Dawn and Tom most recently served as Co-Chairs, Imane was the board Secretary. Along with Hanna Thomas, Treasurer, they recently lead the organization through two changes in leadership, a move, COVID-19 and all the challenges the pandemic presented. We wouldn’t be here without their consistent support.

Welcome Hanna Thomas to the Chair position. Bob Tate is taking on the Treasurer position and Karmen Serbinski is our new Secretary. Don Langmuir continues to serve on the board along with newer board members Marilyn Manco-Johnson and Margaret Olle.

We hope to expand our board with members from Clear Creek and Lake counties as well as additional members from Summit County. If you are interested and/or know someone who would be a good fit, please reach out.

ColoradoGives Day Success!

Our goal for Colorado Gives Day was $18,000. Thanks to your generosity we surpassed that at $20,400.60.

You can help support vulnerable children year round by giving through ColoradoGives.org.

Welcome our Eagle County Team!

Eagle County is home to over 50% of the total population of the 5^th Judicial District. It is also the largest in geographic area. Late summer we hired two staff who reside in and focus their work on Eagle and Lake counties. Lisa Reeder is our part-time Outreach Coordinator and Rebecca Dorn as our full-time Program Coordinator. The board voted in two Eagle County members Margaret Olle and Karmen Serbinski. The Eagle County Team is making connections and increasing our presence there, making it easier to make recommendations for and support the children we serve. It also reduces the amount of travel and time we spend on the road, particularly during the winter season.

Volunteers

We want to thank all of our volunteers for their passion to change a child’s story. The COVID Pandemic made it more difficult to spend time with children but our volunteers persevered with creative ways to connect.

2020 Year in Review

Serendipitously, we chose 2020 to move our fiscal year from July 1 to January 1. Having a short 6-month budget from July 1 – December 31 during these challenging times has been a blessing, making it easier to plan.

In FY2020 (July 1 2019 – June 30 2020) Dependency and Neglect Cases we served 60 children from 39 families.

D&N Volunteer Child Advocates dedicated 2,057 hours (4,720 contacts) to change the story of CASA children.

Truancy

We served five cases in Eagle County within our new Truancy Program. We held Truancy Court in January and February and then continued to work with the students to help them adapt to remote learning. The program continued in fall 2020 and is expanding. We are currently training five additional truancy child advocates increasing our number to 12.

Events

We postponed our Child in for Kids Golf Scramble from June to September. This gave Frost Creek in Eagle time to develop strategies for socially distanced golfing. While we had fewer golfers this year (76), the day was still a success raising $45,317.90 after expenses.

We Moved!

To reduce our rent, we moved down the hall to suite 206. When we are able to congregate again, please stop by to visit our new space. We are now at the top of the stairs.

How to Donate:

Use Amazon Smile or City Market Cares to donate a percentage of your purchases.
Just Login and select CASA of the Continental Divide as the charity of your choice!

More Ways to Donate:

Colorado Gives

Refund Colorado

The post Fall Newsletter first appeared on CASA of the Continental Divide.

Spring Newsletter

Melissa Kiel — Fri, 07 May 2021 18:23:36 +0000

News

CASA of the Continental Divide has a lot of news to share with you since we last communicated. With COVID-19 and the stay at home order, we set up all our staff to work from home. We are considered essential and therefore were able to keep our office open with one staff member going in at a time to get needed work done. As mandates are lifting/getting less strict, we are committed to continue our self-distancing and keep working from home through May, if not longer. With parents out of work and children home from school, already volatile situations are getting worse. Children need our support now more than ever. We asked our advocate volunteers to double their efforts to stay in touch and keep their eyes on the children we serve. We also sent a call out to the community to pay attention to their neighbors and report anything concerning. Over 70% of referrals are made by teachers, coaches, and day care providers. We anticipate that once children are in these spaces again, our case load will increase dramatically.

Give a child a voice

CASA of the Continental Divide is recruiting Volunteer Advocates and Truancy Advocates in each of the counties we serve: Clear Creek, Eagle, Lake, and Summit County. If you know someone who would be fantastic at supporting abused and neglected children and/or children who have major barriers to success in school, please help us make the connection. Details and an initial application with contact information is located at https://mtncasa.org/volunteer/become-a-volunteer/

“Goodbye” to Coleen Bergman

Colleen Bergman, long time CASA employee resigns in May. Colleen started working at CASA in 2008 as an Advocate Manager. For the last 18 months she served as the Director of Programs, supervising case administration as well as serving on cases herself.

“After 12 years of employment with CASA of the Continental Divide, I decided to resign with May 4-8 being my last week with CASA of the Continental Divide. It has been a pleasure to get to know all of you personally and work beside you in advocating for the most vulnerable individuals in our community. Thank you for your ongoing dedication and support for CASA of the Continental Divide!” ~Colleen Bergman

CASA of the Continental Divide is Hiring!

Kathi Brown, Advocate Manager, will assume the Programs Director role in early May, hence we are currently seeking someone to fill the full-time position as Program Coordinator. This position is based in our main office in Dillon Colorado. We also seek to fill a new Outreach Coordinator position with someone who is based in Eagle County and will work 24 hours a week building and supporting our programs there. For more information about these positions, visit www.mtncasa.org or contact Karen Kaminski at 970-214-6909 or CASACD_ED@mtncasa.org.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Stay Healthy

Events

Support CASA of the Continental Divide

GivingTuesdayNow a global day of giving and unity, is set to take place on May 5, 2020. As we mentioned in our Winter Newsletter, children suffering trauma, abuse, and neglect, or experiencing truancy need our help now more than ever. With the added stress brought on by COVID-19 domestic violence shelters are full. Children often do not have a voice of their own, that is what we are here for. Many of you have asked how you can help support the essential work we do.

You can help us continue our mission supporting vulnerable children through these difficult times by giving at https://www.coloradogives.org/index.php?section=organizations&action=newDonation&fwID=27466

In response to these uncertain times and the growing needs of nonprofits due to COVID-19 Giving Tuesday (think Colorado Gives Day) and Community First Foundation (https://www.communityfirstfoundation.org/) created GivingTuesdayNow to make it easy for you to support CASA of the Continental Divide and your other favorite nonprofits in Colorado and around the world.

Child Abuse Prevention Month- April

Thank you to everyone for helping us spread the word and promote prevention in April!
While many of our planned events for April were cancelled, our work to promote Child Abuse Prevention continued. We planted the Pinwheel Garden in Dillon, shared ways that everyone can make great childhoods happen in newspapers and on social media, and showed our support for Child Abuse Prevention by wearing blue!
Thank you to all who donated, liked and shared posts on social media, started a conversation around Child Abuse Prevention, or checked on neighbors and friends; You are all heroes and play a part in preventing child abuse.

SAVE THE DATE

14th Annual Chip in for Kids Golf Scramble

September 2, 2020 at Frost Creek Golf Course in Eagle, CO.
Due to the current restrictions and future uncertainty regarding COVID-19, CASA of the Continental Divide and Frost Creek Golf Course have decided to postpone our annual Chip in for Kids Golf Scramble. We can’t wait to see you in September!
You can register now at: https://mtncasa.org/events/chip-in-for-kids-14th-annual-golf-scramble/

2nd Annual Nonprofit Family Carnival-Save the Date!

Sunday September 13th 2020 More Details Coming Soon!

Recognition

Claudine Norden Volunteer Advocate

Claudine has been a CASA Volunteer Advocate for 4 years. She frequently goes above and beyond both in her role as an advocate and volunteering to support CASA’s mission through events and fundraising. When asked about her work as a CASA volunteer she said:
“I am a CASA volunteer because it gives me an opportunity to contribute positively to families and their human experience. I thrive in inspiring kids and parents to be their best and to have a positive influence in their lives. It also helps me from living in a bubble and to be aware of real struggles and needs in our small community.”

The post Spring Newsletter first appeared on CASA of the Continental Divide.

Winter Newsletter

Melissa Kiel — Tue, 31 Mar 2020 18:20:01 +0000

News

Over the past 21 years, CASACD provided volunteer advocacy for 606 children in Summit, Eagle Lake, and Clear Creek counties.

This year, we are also working with the Eagle County School District and the courts to provide support for children who are truant. This is a first step in changing a child’s story before we might see them in a Dependency and Neglect case.

While we still provide our traditional support as the voice of youth in dependency and neglect cases, we are partnering with businesses and nonprofit organizations to make a greater difference in our communities.

We look forward to your continued support of some of the most needy children, making a difference in their lives, and in the communities we live.

Training

We are offering bimonthly training in Eagle county, using a new hybrid training method which requires more independent work and less time in the classroom.

If you are in Dillon, stop by to visit, meet the staff and see where we are when not in a courthouse.

I would love to chat!

You can reach me at:

Karen.Kaminski@mtncasa.org

or 970-513-9390

ReFUND What Matters

If you get a state income tax refund in 2020, you will have a new opportunity to donate some or all of it to support our ongoing work in the community.

The new program described by the ReFUND CO initiative puts you in charge of where your donation goes. It’s as simple as 1,2,3:
Decide how much of your refund to donate.
Enter CASA of the Continental Divide and our registration number 20023005105 in the Donate to a Colorado Nonprofit Fund line on your state income tax return or tax software – or give this info to your tax preparer when you share your tax documents.
Smile knowing you’ve helped a cause that matters to you
Learn more about this program at RefundWhatMatters.org.

Child Abuse Prevention Month- April

Join us in raising awareness for Child Abuse Prevention!
April 1st– Pinwheel Garden Kickoff in Dillon at 4pm. Don’t forget to plant your own Pinwheel Garden!
April 3rd– National Wear Blue Day. Show your support and spread awareness by wearing Blue!
April 8th– Basket Making Party. Silent auction basket making party to raise funds to support the children we serve.
April 21st– Pinwheels & Pajamas Concert at Silverthorne Pavilion 5:30pm. Join CASA, Summit Concert Band, Summit Advocates, and TreeTop Child Advocacy for great music, a cash bar, and spreading awareness of child abuse prevention.
14th Annual Chip in for Kids Golf Scramble
Join us June 3rd at Frost Creek Golf Course in Eagle, CO.
Register your team today!

Carol Werckman is retiring after 11 years of services as a volunteer advocate. Thank you Carol!

All CASA staff completed the Volunteer Advocate training and were sworn in by Judge Thompson, allowing us to provide enhanced support for our volunteers and the children they serve. Nice work team!

Welcome to Bob Tate, HR Specialist, and new member of the CASACD Board. In the fall Mr. Tate helped us update our HR manual and all of our policies. His help was invaluable and we look forward to continuing to having him on the board.

Fiscal Year 2019 in Review

Volunteers to Children Ratio by County

Financial Detail FY 2019

The post Winter Newsletter first appeared on CASA of the Continental Divide.

CASA of the Continental Divide marks 20 years of helping abuse victims with harrowing, inspiring stories

tdl_tracy — Thu, 21 Feb 2019 17:14:55 +0000

Speaking with confidence and grace, Jewel Arledge stood before a roomful of people Wednesday night at the Silverthorne Pavilion and recounted the hell that was her childhood. Now 20, Arledge works two jobs as she takes classes full-time at Red Rocks Community College. She’ll soon transfer to Metropolitan State University of Denver, where she’ll pursue a double major, and she has designs on chasing a doctorate degree in corporate law after that.

“I’m not slowing down anytime soon,” she said.

Arledge was one of several guest speakers Wednesday night as CASA of the Continental Divide celebrated its 20th birthday, thanked its donors and honored two of its success stories.

Read the Article

The post CASA of the Continental Divide marks 20 years of helping abuse victims with harrowing, inspiring stories first appeared on CASA of the Continental Divide.

Charity Spotlight: CASA – Court Appointed Special Advocates

tdl_tracy — Fri, 25 Jan 2019 22:36:18 +0000

A Big Thank You to Slifer, Smith and Frampton!

For their kind feature of CASA of the Continental Divide in their most recent

Local’s Perspective Newsletter.

Your Support Means the World!

Charity Spotlight: CASA – Court Appointed Special Advocates

Slifer Smith & Frampton is proud to support our local charities through our SSF Foundation. This month’s featured charity is CASA – Court Appointed Special Advocates. CASA is a nonprofit organization that trains and supervises volunteers to represent the best interests of victims of child abuse, neglect, and severe domestic conflict. CASA volunteers are appointed by judges to be a voice for these children in court and in the community. The desired result is that children be placed in safe, loving homes where they can thrive.

CASA is a national organization with branches all over the country. Our local branch, CASA of the Continental Divide, covers Summit, Eagle, Lake and Clear Creek counties. It is run by 65 child advocate volunteers who work hard making sure that the child they serve is being well cared for and receiving loving support through a difficult process. Last year the CASA of the Continental Divide volunteers and board members donated over 5,000+ hours of their time and drove over 45,000 miles on behalf of CASA and the children they serve.

CASA’s goal is to have volunteers serving 100% of child welfare and truancy cases throughout the district. To learn more about becoming a volunteer visit the “Volunteer Training” section of the website. Also, be on the lookout for their annual charity golf tournament in June of 2019.

https://mtncasa.org/
SSFFoundationSummit.org

The post Charity Spotlight: CASA – Court Appointed Special Advocates first appeared on CASA of the Continental Divide.

Liam’s Story – Episode 2

tdl_tracy — Wed, 04 Oct 2017 22:48:57 +0000

The Story of Liam as he ages out of the Foster Care System. In this episode Liam’s met the girl of his dreams! But how will she react when he tries to talk to her?

The post Liam’s Story – Episode 2 first appeared on CASA of the Continental Divide.

Liam’s Story

tdl_tracy — Wed, 06 Sep 2017 22:46:40 +0000

Follow Liam’s Journey as he ages out of the foster care system. Richard Wisker stars in this exclusive web series, charting his quest for fame and fortune. Written by Matt Evans.

The post Liam’s Story first appeared on CASA of the Continental Divide.