News from CASA
Current News from Colorado
News From Colorado CASA
A Note From The Executive Director…
For fortunate families, home is where we feel safe and sheltered from the world outside. It is a place to share and experience the joy of growing up and growing old with the ones we love. Unfortunately, there are thousands of children in Colorado who do not have a safe home where they can thrive in loving, familiar surroundings. As responsible citizens of this state, we must ask if we are doing all we can to make the world a better place for them. At times it seems that we want to fix the injustices in a child’s life by taking them home and showering them with love and gifts. Realistically, we know we cannot ‘fix’ a child’s life with ‘things,’ or even a brief expression of love. Children need someone for the long haul. They need a place to call home, whatever that might look like. In order to have hope for their future, they need an environment that is familiar and safe and warm where they can share love with people that they call family.
There are no easy answers for the serious issues of child abuse and neglect. We must expand our thinking in order to realize the scope of possibilities that can make a difference and offer hope for the future of all our state’s children. The CASA network, both in Colorado and nationally is made up of thousands of people who ask these same questions. How can we make a difference? What can we do to have an impact on these precious little lives?
The reality is that we can all make a difference in our own ways, but only if we work together. There is no one job, one program, one court, or one person that can make a difference in isolation. Here are some of the interlocking tasks that dedicated individuals undertake through the CASA Network in Colorado:
From the judge who assigns a case to CASA, to the CASA volunteer who get to know and advocates for each child, to the Volunteer Coordinator who trains and supports the volunteers, we deliver direct services to Colorado’s children who have experienced abuse and neglect. Behind the scenes, CASA board members and administrative staff give their time to support these front line people. At the statewide level, Colorado CASA coordinates communications and collaboration. Finally, our state legislatures make it all possible by putting the CASA program into the Colorado Children’s Code. We can all feel proud to know that we have done our jobs to make the world a safer place for a child to thrive. It truly does take a village to raise a child. In collaboration with Guardian Ad Litem Attorneys, DHS Caseworkers, and foster parents, we can each do our part and be that difference.
Member Agency News
- Newsletter "The Dialogue" | pdf 1.3Mb
- CASA Network News January 2005 | pdf 1.1Mb