Dear Volunteers,

I'm celebrating all of you as SUPERHEROS because of your dedication to the kids we serve.

As you know, we were not able to hold our Summer BBQ event (YET - we will when we can!), so we want to do something fun that you can participate in on a short car ride with your assigned child, or by yourself with a plan to make a delivery to your assigned child.

We are going to do a SUPERHERO DRIVE THRU event!

WHEN: This Saturday, August 8
WHERE:
Santa Maria CASA office 11-12 noon
Lompoc office - 1-2pm
HOW: Just "Drive thru" at the office of your choice, and a team of "superheros" will great you and present you (or your youth) with a fun "superhero" box filled with toys, snacks, crafts - we are working on making the boxes age sensitive in these groups : under 4, 5-9, over 10.

PLEASE LET YOUR ADVOCATE SUPERVISOR KNOW IF YOU PLAN TO DO THE DRIVE-THRU SO THAT WE HAVE ENOUGH BOXES!

Please accept my apology that at this time we can't do this event in SB - we are working on a location, but our office just does not work for a drive thru event. However - you can coordinate with your Advocate Supervisor to pick up a superhero box.

We hope that this will be a fun "mini-event" to remind the kids that they, too, are superheros. The box will give them some fun things to do during the long summer break. We also have some books, quilts, and extra stuffed animals - so please consider joining the drive thru event.

To keep things from getting too crazy, please line your car up behind others, rather than looking for a parking spot. We can make things move smoothly if we keep everyone in the car lined up - we will bring the boxes to you. It helps if you don't park, because it messes up the drive thru line!!

For those coming to the Santa Maria office - we have Dairy Queen gift cards if you want to plan to end your outing with a treat - even though the mall is closed, Dairy Queen remains open and I think they deliver to your car (please confirm - I can't keep up with it all!)
Mandatory Training
We were not able to do a mandatory training session in July as is our tradition, due to the fact that we can't hold large meetings. But I have some GREAT news on an excellent opportunity!

We are confirmed with The Office of the Foster Care Ombudsperson for Mandatory training for CASA volunteers for Thursday August 27th from 5:30 to 7 p.m.

They will send us their conferencing information so volunteers can call and/or login a week in advance, so we will send that out to everyone via your advocate supervisor as soon as we have it. Thank you for saving the time if you are able to attend the "live" class, and I believe it will be taped so that you can view it after the presentation. I think it will be a very informational opportunity to learn about resources for our youth who are in a foster care placement.

Here is info about the department.
 
The Office of the Foster Care Ombudsperson (OFCO) was founded based on advocacy from youth placed in foster care. California legislature established the OFCO in 1998 to help protect and uphold the rights of youth in the foster care system. The mission of the OFCO has a unique purpose, and position within the foster care system. The OFCO is an autonomous entity that is empowered to investigate and attempt to resolve complaints made by or on behalf of children and youth placed in foster care, related to their care, placement, or services. Additionally, the OFCO provides foster youth and their caregivers with information on their rights and conducts trainings and presentations to child welfare professionals and community partners.
Small group art class
 Art Class 8/29 2-4PM
Driftwood Mobiles,
Ages 6 and up.
8 person max - includes child - so the first 4 to confirm attendance
(sorry this is space limited - more art classes to come!)
Each child and CASA volunteer will be able to pick their creation and then we will all be able to paint each piece with a multitude of acrylic colors.
Annual Advocate Survey and Review
We are required by the State Judicial Council to meet face to face once per year with each CASA volunteer to do a quick survey and review, and answer any questions that you may have. In the past we have done this in July/August, but this year we will be doing the review in September. A survey will be sent at the end of the month, and then during the month of September, your advocate supervisor will meet with you in person or via zoom, to get your feedback and talk about the status of your case. Please make the time to meet - this is a requirement that is not negotiable, but we will work with you as best we can on the timing, and we are offering a zoom option if you are more comfortable meeting that way. All reviews must be completed in September. Thanks for your cooperation!
Continuing Education
With all of the changes in the past few months, I want to remind you all about the requirement to complete your 12 hours of continuing education. This requirement has NOT been waived, even though we are not able to hold our monthly lunch and learns.

We have been making an effort to provide you with ideas for online learning or movies/books that count for your continuing education, and remember that you can also be logged into CASA University for a refresher course!

Please talk to your Advocate Supervisor if you have any questions about your continuing education status.
We have a number of masks of different styles, and if you need one - we have one for you! Just ask your current advocate supervisor, and we will set one aside for you - or even mail it to you.
We are working with a source to provide additional PPE = we want you to feel confident in your work as a CASA volunteer. Let your advocate supervisor know if you need PPE.
. We are working hard to remain strong through these difficult times, even as CASA is asked to do more than ever. With a waiting list larger than it has been in 5 years, we need to grow. We want to thank everyone who donates to CASA - join us!
Have you Joined the Circle of Hope yet? We are building a group of people who want to support CASA with a monthly gift of $10-$20 - and we would LOVE to include you! Contact Crystal@sbcasa.org for more information.