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November 2020 | In This Issue
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Threading Hope!
"Social Media-Thon"
Friday, December 4th
10 AM to 3 PM
Facebook.com/ChildAdvServices
LIVE VIRTUAL EVENT!
Join us with a virtual pledge to raise $10,000! Thanks to the generosity of Kristen and Chad Beard, First Guaranty Bank, and Alexis Ducorbier State Farm, every gift up to $10,000 will be QUADRUPLED! Your gift will make 4 times the impact!
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Serving Older Youth in Foster Care
According to the Annie E. Casey Foundation's Jim Casey Youth Opportunities  Initiative, 20% of children exiting foster care will become homeless when they turn 18 and only half will attain gainful employment before age 24. Of females who age out of foster care, 71% will become pregnant before age 21. These statistics highlight the significant challenges many older youth face as they transition out of foster care. States have developed strategies to address these challenges, and NCSL has compiled a 50-state data map that looks at eight policy areas related to older youth in foster care.
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139 CASA volunteers served 318 children in October and helped find safe, permanent homes for 13 of those children. 144 children are still waiting for someone to be their voice.
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Training starts January 11, 2021.
Want to learn more about becoming a CASA Volunteer?
Register for one of our upcoming virtual information sessions.
Lunch & Learn Information Sessions:
November 19, 2020 at 11:30 AM
December 17, 2020 at 11:30 AM
Coffee with CASA Information Sessions:
December 5, 2020 at 9:00 AM
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Recruiters' Corner
Check out Stephanie and Donna's
Live Chat
"To make a difference in someone's life, you don't have to be brilliant, rich, beautiful, or perfect. You just have to care enough and be there." Anonymous
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Congratulations to our newest CASA Volunteer, Katherine Perriera!
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November is National Adoption Month!
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Mark Square
Tangipahoa Parish Volunteer Spotlight
 Since being sworn in as a CASA Volunteer on May 23, 2012, Mr. Square has advocated for eight children. He is currently on two cases and serving three children. Mr. Square's advocate supervisor, Jerri Pevey, says that you can always count on Mr. Mark to see his kids and make sure that they have what they need. She says he takes his role as an advocate seriously and is a great role model for the children that he serves. Ms. Pevey states that Mr. Mark has been the advocate for one young man for six years. Mr. Square has been the only consistent person in this child's foster care journey. Mr. Square has been a resident of Tangipahoa Parish since 1967. He and his wife, Jean, live in Hammond. Mr. Square is the pastor of Cristo Para Tobos (Christ for All) Church in Natalbany. Mr. Square is also the organist choir master for the All Saints Episcopal Church in Ponchatoula. In addition to his volunteer and church duties, Mr. Square has been working with special needs adults for over 35 years.
CAS thanks Mr. Mark Square for being an amazing advocate for children!!
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Sherry Metrejean
Assumption Parish Volunteer Spotlight
Sherry is from Pierre Part, LA and was sworn in to service for Assumption Parish in January of this year, taking her first case shortly thereafter.
Sherry has been married to her wonderful husband, Albert, for 39 years and together they have three grown children, Misty, Zachary, and Kristen. She also has 4 beautiful grandchildren, all keeping her busy! Sherry is employed with Cummins Sales and Service where she serves as a service manager.
In her spare time, Sherry enjoys spending time with her family. She also enjoys travelling, attending Broadway plays and reading. Sherry enjoys learning new skills, whether it is sewing, soap making, jewelry design, fixing things around her home, or mastering new cooking skills and recipes.
Sherry has been a life-long volunteer, serving in roles such as Girl Scout leader, youth minister, disciple mentor, and Catholic Daughter officer.
Sherry thinks the most rewarding part of being a CASA volunteer is knowing that she has an active part in changing the life story of a child. She is looking forward to the day when a child that she has had a hand in shaping their future comes to fruition and she can think back and with pride, say "Yeah, I did that!"
From Sherry's supervisor: Sherry is a dedicated CASA, always visiting her child, keeping in contact with all parties, and her court reports are always top-notch.
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Advocating With Purpose
CASA volunteers wear so many hats and do so many things for their CASA children and their own families! Sometimes the juggling act of scheduling visits, completing Optima Contact Logs, completing court reports, attending Family Team Meetings, checking school attendance, talking to counselors, checking in on the parents' case plan compliance, and going to court hearings cause advocates to forget the purpose of that work. The purpose of our work is always to help the children that we serve have a safe and permanent home as quickly as possible. What a huge task! We do realize that we ask a lot from our advocates, but we know your hearts and we know that you want to do the best job possible in being the voice of your CASA child. Remember that a child's CASA is the only person in the court room that is advocating exclusively for their best interest.
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Remember to keep your CASA Volunteer file up-to-date with your current auto insurance card, driver's license, and contact information. And remember to visit your CASA child face-to-face at least once a month. |
Virtual Stewards of Children Training
Offered online via Zoom!
Stewards of Children is a revolutionary sexual abuse prevention training program that educates adults to prevent, recognize, and react responsibly to child sexual abuse. The program believes and teaches that child safety is an adult's job.
Join us at 11:00 AM on Wednesday, December 16th!
This training is offered at $10 per participant. Your $10 includes a workbook, personal resources for better protecting children, CEU Certificate for 2.0 hours, and sustains this training for others to be trained.
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Tameka T. White, M.Ed., MHP
21st JDC Multi-Disciplinary Team Spotlight
 Tameka T. White attended Southeastern Louisiana University where she obtained a B.A. in Criminal Justice, a Post Baccalaureate Certification in Elementary Education, and a M.Ed. in Counselor Education. She is also a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. Tameka has recently been reappointed by the Governor to the Crime Victims Reparations Board representing the 1st Congressional District. She has been employed with the 21st Judicial District Attorney's Office since 1996 where she began as a student worker working in the Worthless Checks and Juvenile Division.
In 2001, she became a Victims Advocate where she worked in both in St. Helena and Livingston parishes. In 2008, she became the Tri-Parish Victims Assistance Coordinator for Livingston, St. Helena and Tangipahoa Parishes. In this role, she carries out a number of responsibilities including supervising other victims' advocates, establishing annual awareness programs for various victim services, and acting as a liaison between victims and court staff.
Tameka also collaborates with the members of the MDT in order to create a common goal on a number of cases across the parishes by providing updates as to where the case stands in the Judicial setting.
When asked what is her favorite part of being a member of this MDT, Tameka's response was "working closely with other professionals from various agencies in a care-free environment in order to make appropriate decisions about specific cases in a collective manner with each individual members input. Therefore, it is our Team Work comprised of each of our own experiences, qualifications, and skills that contribute to the achievement of specific goals on each case that makes being a member of this Tangipahoa MDT an honor!"
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Jennifer Duet
Livingston Parish Multi-Disciplinary Team Spotlight
Jennifer Duet has been an active member of our Livingston MDT team for 13 years. Lieutenant Duet 
began her career in law enforcement in 1999 as a dispatcher for the St. Bernard Parish Sheriff's Office and, in time, she transferred to uniform patrol. In 2006, she moved to Livingston Parish where she started her career with the Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office as a patrol deputy. Jennifer was transferred to the Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office Juvenile Division in 2007 where she worked as a detective. Jennifer has been the supervisor over the juvenile detectives for 8 years and continues to protect and serve as Lieutenant in the Juvenile Division.
Lieutenant Duet believes the MDT team is comprised of team members who effectively come together to ensure reports of child abuse are thoroughly investigated. She feels "Teamwork" is the key factor to a successful MDT team.
Thank you, Jennifer, for being so dedicated in protecting the children in your community.
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In October, the Children's Advocacy Center provided advocacy and forensic interviews to 58 children. In the River Region, 18 children and families were provided 40 hours of counseling.
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Trust-Based Relational Intervention
This September, our Prevention Services Coordinators, Jordyn G'sell and Kathy Cusimano, were trained in TBRI (Trust- Based Relational Intervention). TBRI® is an attachment-based, trauma-informed intervention that is designed to meet the complex needs of vulnerable children. TBRI® uses Empowering Principles to address physical needs, Connecting Principles for attachment needs, and Correcting Principles to disarm fear-based behaviors. While the intervention is based on years of attachment, sensory processing, and neuroscience research, the heartbeat of TBRI® is connection.
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In recognition of the outstanding job these young ladies did maintaining the newly installed landscaping.
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Brave children tell their stories. Courageous adults help these children through their trauma and assist them in finding a safe future. Buttons of Bravery represent the journey of one child for a year under the care of Child Advocacy Services.
Help hold them together through their experience by participating in the
Buttons of Bravery Child Sponsorship Program.
Thank you to our new and/or continuing Buttons of Bravery Child Sponsors.
Kristen & Chad Beard
David & Judith Landry *
Rob & Tara Peltier *
Wrisk Consulting, LLC
Rob & Sally Carlisle *
CH Specialty *
Crossroads Behavioral Health, LLC *
John Derenbecker *
Jasmine & Kendal Gardner *
Celeste Layrisson *
Wayne Meyers *
Becky Powell Ferrara *
Lauren & Chris Reynolds *
* denotes a recurring monthly donor
Thank you to First Guaranty Bank for supporting our first ever "Threading Hope" Social Media-Thon for services to children!
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Dear Community Supporter,
CAS served 557 children with 212 volunteers through our CASA program in 2019. Of those children, 205 were placed in safe and permanent homes. Additionally, we performed 662 forensic interviews and provided 663 hours of counseling to 116 children and families through our CAC program.
Child Advocacy Services, Inc. is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization. We appreciate your consideration to start or renew your child sponsorship for 2020. Please remember your contribution is tax-deductible.
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To report Child Abuse or Neglect, call:
1-855-4LA-KIDS
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