CASA Quarterly Update

Volume 3 - Issue 1

January 2020

Advocacy by the Numbers

as of December 31, 2019

Number of children who have a CASA – 536

Total number of cases in 2019 - 270

Number of advocates – 140

Total volunteer hours - 11,598

Current News

Volunteer Appreciation Event

This year's CASA volunteer appreciation event will be April 9th at the Hilton Garden Inn in Bloomington. We're changing things up a bit this year and will be celebrating our volunteers over dinner instead of lunch! Stay tuned to your email for more details coming soon!

CASA Candlelight Breakfast

This year's CASA Candlelight Breakfast fundraiser will be May 20th at Fountain Square Ballroom. Breakfast attendees can expect coffee and a light breakfast, as well as updates from CASA Executive Director Kristin Bishay and other special guests. Stay tuned to your email and our social media for more information coming soon!

Aver's Dine and Donate to Support CASA

Mark your calendars! February 20th is our first CASA Dine and Donate event of 2020 at Aver's Pizza on the east side! Stop in from 5-8 p.m. and let them know you are dining to support CASA. 20% of your bill will be donated back to the CASA program! If you want to attend, please rsvp here.

2020 Volunteer Training Opportunities

Know someone that would make a great CASA, or maybe you've been thinking about it yourself? Apply now for one of our 2020 trainings! Sessions will be held June 1-24th and October 19th - November 11th. Click here to apply.

Federal Funding Changes - A Note From the Director

For over 20 years, Monroe County CASA has been the recipient of a federal grant from the Victims of Crime Act. This grant has grown significantly over the years with an annual award of 250,000 this past grant cycle. Unfortunately, we have recently been informed by the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute to expect a 70% cut in funds. This will be a sudden $175,000 loss of funds to our program. We have less than one year to financially fill this gap. If we do not, we will be forced to serve fewer victims of child abuse, which is not something any of us want to see happen. We are already working hard to make sure our advocacy in 2020 and beyond is not affected. But, please just know this. Your generosity and support this year will be more important to us than ever. Thank you for being a part of the CASA family, helping us to ensure ALL children have a safe place to lay their heads at night, where they feel protected and loved.

Fall 2019 Recap

CASA Gala - "The Art of the Matter" - A Huge Success

This year's CASA gala, "The Art of the Matter", was a great success this year. The event at FAR Center for Contemporary Arts raised over $50,000 for Monroe County CASA. Thank you to all who were in attendance!

Giving Tuesday 2019

Giving Tuesday 2019 was a very exciting time for the CASA program. With your support, CASA raised nearly $1500 to start a new fund to help CASA kids just be kids! This money can be used for things like summer camps, prom dresses or sports equipment. Over the holidays, part of the money raised was used to help one of our collaborative care youth cover a month of rent while they were getting on their feet. Thank you to all who helped make this possible with your Giving Tuesday gift.

Jordy 2019 Wrap Up

The end of 2019 was a busy time for Jordy and Tia! In October, Jordy paid a special visit to Bloomington Police Department, was interviewed by WTHR's Kevin Rader, and then spent Halloween passing out treats to community partners around Bloomington! Jordy also celebrated his 5th birthday this fall with a puppy party at Switchyard Brewing Company! All of this fun was in addition to his great work at the youth shelter, Susie's Place and with CHINS kids at the justice building.

2019 Final Stats

In 2019, CASA volunteers advocated for over 500 children involved in Monroe County abuse or neglect cases. This involved 11,598 hours of volunteer time! The work of 140 CASA volunteers in 2019 saves Monroe County government approximately $753,000 (if they were to use a paid Guardian ad Litem or attorney to represent each child). Thank you to all of our volunteers for the work that you do!

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Board Member Spotlight

Marianne Chitwood

Marianne Chitwood grew up in Indianapolis and moved to Bloomington after high school. She has worked at Indiana University since coming to Bloomington over 38 years ago. She serves as director to the I-Light Network at IU and is also director for GlobalNOC Operations. In this role she has responsibility for a 24x7x365 network operations center that supports research and education networks throughout the country. Marianne is blessed with a very supportive family, and she particularly enjoys spending time with her husband and their two children and their families, including her two twin granddaughters.

Staff Member Spotlight

Kristin Bishay

Kristin Bishay is the CASA Director. Kristin joined the FSA staff in the spring of 2002 and became the CASA program director in November 2007. She brought with her social service experience coupled with 18 years in management. She trained as a CASA volunteer in 1996, actively taking cases for seven years. Kristin loves working with the staff and volunteers at CASA. In addition to her work locally, she sits on various committees at the state CASA level and is often a resource and mentor to new CASA directors statewide.