October 2013 Newsletter

New Member Sworn In

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Debra Michaud – CASA Volunteer – Summit County

In Lake County on October 2, Debra Michaud was sworn in as a CASA volunteer and friend of the court by Judge Thomas Moorehead. Debra went through CASA volunteer training last spring and has a diverse background including nursing, mediation and two adult children of her own. She has engaged in charitable and volunteer efforts over the years, and looks forward to making a difference in children’s lives.

For more information on how to get involved with CASA of the Continental Divide, go to www.mtncasa.org or call 970-513-9390.


Welcome Back Hannah!

As you all probably know, Hannah has been on maternity leave since her son, Owen, was born at the end of July. She will be returning to work on Friday, November 1! We all are looking forward to her return!

And with her return, Carol, who has been filling in part time during Hannah’s maternity leave, will return to her previous life as a CASA volunteer. Thank you, Carol, for all your help here in the office during the last few months!


Many Cases Still Need CASA’s

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In the CASA office, we still have six cases that don’t have CASAs, especially in Eagle County. Please review the list below and let us know if you want more information about a case or whether you are ready to stand up and advocate for these children.
In Clear Creek:

  1. Existing case with three boys ages 11 and 9. Previous CASA recently moved from the area.

In Eagle:

  1. Existing case with one girl age 9 and one boy age 6
  2. New case with two boys age 5 years and 10 months
  3. New case with two girls age 3 1/2 years and 22 months

In Summit:

  1. New case with one boy age 14
  2. Existing case with two girls, 13 and 11, and one boy, 10

Optima Update

As of September 23, Optima is up in running for the CASACD office and its volunteers! Here are some of the things volunteers can now do!

  • Log in to Optima over the Internet from their own computer, laptop, iPad or other mobile device. (If you need your login information, contact the office.)
  • Enter contact logs directly into Optima as they happen (or at least within 72 hours!).
  • Have access to current case data, such as CASA appointment papers, family service plans, CASA reports, and other case documents.
  • Upload case documents sent directly to the CASA if they are not already available on Optima.
  • Update ever-changing contact information for people associated with your case.
  • Enter hearing information.
  • See when the next hearing will be held.

However, as with any new technology, there are some things that we are still working out, so please be patient. For example, the court report process is still not where we would like it, so for the next month or so, please continue to write court reports the old-fashioned way in Word and email them to your advocate manager two weeks before your court date.


Technology Mentors Available

If you need more assistance with the switch to using Optima, we have technology mentors, people who are comfortable with technology and the Optima program and who would be willing to sit with others a few times to help them enter their data into Optima.

If you would like help from these technology mentors, contact the CASACD office.


Volunteer Training and Resources

  • Summit County Lunchtime Learning presents Cognitive Disorders – Wednesday, Oct. 23, 12 to 12:50pm. Free. Ten Mile Room, St. Anthony’s Medical Office Building. Bring a brown-bag lunch. Call Mind Springs Health (formerly Colorado West) for more information.
  • Making Therapy Work: Helping Clients Understand How to Work with Trauma and Other Difficult Experiences – Friday, Nov. 8, 6:30 to 8pm. Free. Noeticus Office, 190 E. 9th Ave., Basement Conf. Room, Denver. Preregistration required. To register, call Laura Strube at (303) 399-9988 x176 or email registrations@noeticus.org.
  • A Statewide Discussion on Prescription Drug Abuse Among Youth – Wednesday, Nov. 20, 7 to 9pm. Free. Univ. of Colorado, Skaggs School of Pharmacy, Aurora. For more information, click here.

Volunteer Supervision

Colleen:
Dillon – Wednesday, Oct. 23, 5 to 7pm and Thursday, Oct. 31, 10am to 12pm, both held at the CASA office, Room 101.
Avon Library – Thursday, Oct. 24, 5 to 7 p.m.

Carol (Interim Hannah):
Leadville – By appointment.
Georgetown Clear Creek Courthouse – Friday, Oct. 25, 9 to 11am.

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


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