February 2014 Newsletter

Magic in the Mountains

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Jason Bishop, America’s Hottest illusionist brings his show to the Keystone Conference Center on March 22, at 6:30pm, to benefit CASA of the Continental Divide.
Jason Bishop might have a person passing through his body one moment or make goldfish appear from nowhere the next. Bishop is an international award-winning illusionist who was the youngest person to win the Magician’s Alliance of Eastern States Stage Award and one of the youngest people to compete in the Society of American Magicians World-Class competition. Bishop’s interest in magic ran throughout his youth, truly taking shape in his mid-teens. In college Jason studied theatre and then went on the road performing at resorts and amusement parks, anywhere he could find an audience, including the street. As audiences enjoyed the show more and more he altered his magic to became larger and more impressive.The Jason Bishop Show now tours the most dynamic illusion and magic show in the US. The show currently features exclusive large illusions, award winning sleight of hand and “close-up” magic that is captured live and projected onto LCD screens for the audience to have a clear view of every detail. Bishop is currently the only illusionist in the U.S. to tour with the rare Plasma illusion and Op-Art. His performance abilities have led him from New Mexico to Maine and Florida to New York, as well as every state in-between.

A former foster child, Jason has offered his services to CASA of the Continental Divide for this Benefit Show.

Tickets are in advance are $30 adults/$25 children. At the door: $35 adults/$30 children.

For tickets, go here.

CASACD has 25 free tickets for CASA children, their CASA volunteer and anyone who provides transportation for the to the event, e.g., parent, foster parent, caseworker, or other guardian. Please let Kathy know by March19 if the children on your case will be in attendance. If you cannot attend but your CASA children would like to attend with a guardian, call the office for tickets.
CASA of the Continental Divide is also in need of sponsors for this event. If you know of any individuals or businesses interested in supporting our organization in this way, please contact the office.


CASA at the Capitol

CASA in Colorado is sponsoring CASA at the Capitol on the morning of Monday, March 10. Meet other CASA volunteers from around the state and our local representatives and talk about issues important to the CASA volunteer mission. If you can make this event, please register here. Carpooling can be arranged by emailing Ron in the CASACD office.


Updating CASA Volunteer Information

With the new Optima database, we in the office have new tools at our disposal to keep volunteer records up to date. With this change, we will be starting a review of CASA volunteer files to be sure we have everyone’s updated information, especially background checks, driver’s licenses, and car insurance information.

One new change that will go along with this is that Optima will automatically notify us when the above information expires, so we can update people individually instead of, for example, trying to update all the background checks at once.

So over the next few months, depending on factors like when your last background check was completed and what current or expired information we might have in your file, you might receive an email asking for updated information. We will email forms you will need as attachments, and you can return the information to us by snail mail, in person when you see one of us at court or supervision or in the office, etc.


Newsletters and Articles of Interest

Here is a direct link to the digital edition of Fostering Families Today magazine. Click here to view the publication. Access to the digital edition is email address sensitive. After opening the magazine, you may be prompted to Register in order to view the rest of the magazine.

Below are some articles from Connie Vigil from the National Resource Center for Adoptions:

* Demographic trends in Foster Care – consistent with ours decline

For more information about this campaign, go to colorado.gov/cdhs.


Optima updates and hints

Points to remember:
* When logging time in a contact log, only use time to the nearest .25 of the hour. For example, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 1.0, 1.25, etc.
* Dates can be typed into date fields using the format 8/6/2014. They will automatically be reformatted in court reports as August 6, 2014.
* Enter supervision time under training. It will no longer be available under contact logs. When supervision is face to face with the advocate manager, the volunteer should enter the time into Optima. When it is on the phone, the advocate manager will enter it into Optima.
* If you are entering a contact and none of the contact types seems appropriate, call the advocate manager.
* If an advocate manager is present in the courtroom during your case hearing, the advocate manager will be responsible for entering court notes into Optima. If one of them can’t be there, they will make arrangements with you to obtain the information needed for the court report notes.
* Enter contacts as soon as possible, preferably immediately after or within 72 hours, but be sure to enter all contacts for the month no later than the 5th of the following months so that accurate monthly reports can be generated.


Upcoming Events / Training / Webinars

* Foster Care Education Webinar 101.2 sponsored by Colorado Department of Education. Tuesday, Feb. 11, noon to 1:30pm. Register by clicking here.
* Dialogue Over Dinner: Traumatic Brain Injury and Concussions: What parents and friends need to know for prevention and support. Wednesday, Feb. 12, 5:30-7:30pm. Sponsored by the Family & Intercultural Resource Center . RSVP with Kerri at kerrib@summitfirc.org or call 970-262-3888 ext. 330. The evening is free and includes dinner and childcare. The food will be donated by All Seasons Catering.
* CASA at the Capital. Monday, March 10, 8 to noon. To register, click here. To carpool with other CASACD members, contact ronbesser@casa.colorado.net.
* Placement stability/support/compatibility – making the best decisions. Friday, March 14, 9am-4pm, Adams County Government Center – Brainerd Gulch Conf. Rm. 4435 Adams County Pkwy., Brighton; Wednesday, April 23, 9am-4pm, Durango Public Library, Program Room #2, 1900 E. 3rd Ave., Durango; Friday, May 23, 9am-4pm, Garfield CO DHS, Roan Plateau Room, 195 W. 14th St., Rifle. For information or to register, click here.
* Achieving Permanency through Intensive Family Finding. Learn to help youth and families maintain family connections and find their families. Monday, March 17, 8:30am to 4:30pm, SE CDHS Regional Training Center, 172 Justice Center Rd., Canyon City, and Thursday, June 19, West CDHS Regional Training Center, 195 W. 14th St, Rifle. For more information or to register, click here for Canyon City or here for Rifle.


Volunteer Supervision

Colleen:
Dillon: Meetings held at the CASA office; room 101: Tuesday, February 18 from 5-7pm
Avon: Meetings will be held at the Avon Library: Wednesday February 12 from 10-noon and Thursday, February 27 from 5-7pm

Ron:
Dillon: Meetings held at the CASA office; room 101: Tuesday, February 11 from 1-3pm
Lake: Wednesday February 19 from 10:30am-12:30pm

If you need access to commonly used CASA forms or templates, use our public file for CASA.


View the entire newsletter here