Georgia CASA has been selected as one of 10 state or local CASA programs in the country to receive a $100,000 grant from The National CASA/GAL Association for Children to further implement the Change a Child's Story branding campaign in selected designated market areas in Georgia.

In partnership with R&R Partners, a national advertising agency that will implement the campaign, initiatives in both the Atlanta and Macon markets will include radio public service announcements, digital out-of-home advertising (billboards and digital signs in grocery stores and pharmacies), digital ads in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and The Macon Telegraph, and social media ads on Facebook and Instagram. The initiatives will run from mid-October through the end of the year.

On a national level, the Change a Child's Story campaign relaunched in August and will run simultaneously through the end of the year. The latest initiative has been rotating ads at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta.

We are so excited for the campaign in Georgia as it will increase awareness of the CASA organization as well as help in the recruitment of more CASA volunteers to serve more children who are experiencing foster care. We invite you to let us know if you see CASA ads and tell others about the CASA volunteer opportunity!

We had a great annual Georgia CASA Conference experience on August 7th with an in-person conference at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis that included about 200 CASA volunteers, board members, and staff from around the state, along with keynote speaker Sixto Cancel, special guests, and workshop presenters.

Fifteen workshops were offered for attendees to hear from professionals in the fields of child abuse and neglect, child welfare, and volunteer and nonprofit management. The opening session included special guests Erin Thomas and Seth Martin, the affiliate Awards of Excellence, Board Leadership Award, and CASA Champion Award. The Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon featured an inspirational speech by Sixto Cancel and the presentation of the CASA Volunteer of the Year in Georgia.

For those who wanted to join virtually, an online encore version of the conference was made available to registrants the following week. The online version included the opportunity to watch recordings of each session from the conference, which will remain available for three months following the conference.

We are pleased to spotlight Brad Ray, Senior Performance Measurement, Research, and Evaluation Officer with National CASA/GAL Association for Children in Seattle. Brad first became a Guardian ad Litem (GAL) volunteer in Florida in 1992 and then became involved again in the child welfare field in 2006, which ultimately lead to his role as the founder and Executive Director of the Southwest Georgia Children’s Alliance, headquartered in Americus, Georgia, and home of SOWEGA CASA. In 2015, Brad made his way to the national level, joining the National CASA/GAL staff, and, in 2018, returned as a CASA volunteer with King County CASA in Seattle.

Brad was initially introduced to the CASA program through his involvement at a local children’s home in Florida. At the time, his professional career was in journalism and marketing, in which he gained experience covering a myriad of sectors, including the state legislature, before starting his own public relations and advertising firm. It would be 10 years later when Brad learned that his new southwestern Georgia community was starting a CASA program and seeking a director, and he stepped back into the CASA network.

Throughout his volunteer and professional CASA roles, Brad has gained much insight from the people he has met who advance the CASA mission. While nearly impossible to choose one particular insight, Brad states, “Becoming a CASA volunteer has made me a better human being. I see strengths in people I have encountered while volunteering that I may not have previously taken the time to notice. I see that none of us act or can do anything alone. I see that forgiveness and grace are as much for and about me as they are for anyone else. And, I see that one person can truly make a difference in changing a child’s life and family’s trajectory.”

When asked what advice he would give current CASA volunteers, Brad advises to hold people accountable without judging them. CASA volunteers often encounter people who are seen as “irreparably broken” and “less than.” In reality, we are no different. We can – if we set our egos aside – see people for who they are, respect them for where they are, and ensure that children and families are given every opportunity to thrive.

Brad believes that opportunities to continuously improve the child welfare system are mandates for each person operating within it. As a whole, those in the CASA organization have thoughtfully and respectfully come together, listening and deferring to the children and families served, in order to create a child welfare system which recognizes the importance of family preservation and reunification, equity, diversity, inclusion, and collaboration.

Family members – both biological and extended – are very important to Brad and an integral part of his support structure as he is a part of theirs. Consistent communication, paired with in-person visits at least once a year, help ensure Brad’s family members remain his “touchstones, guides, moral compasses, and think tanks.” He cannot imagine who he would be without them. When he thinks of the children in the child welfare system who lose their families or may never have relatives as a resource, it is heartbreaking. CASA volunteers are able to step in and advocate for children to thrive and reach their full potential with the support of permanent connections to family.

As of October 1^st, CASA Glynn has expanded its geographic service area to include Appling, Jeff Davis, and Wayne counties as Tri-County CASA has now been consolidated under CASA Glynn. Previously, Tri-County CASA was one of a few CASA programs in the state that operated independently from its existing judicial circuit boundaries. CASA services for the entire judicial circuit are now under CASA Glynn.

Leadership at both CASA programs, along with key CASA stakeholders and the juvenile court judges in the Brunswick Judicial Circuit, agreed that the administrative transition will reinforce CASA volunteer capacity and administrative stability for the previous Tri-County CASA service area, while also providing continuity in service for children being served by CASA volunteers.

Thank you to our donors who supported the work of Georgia CASA for Summer 2021. Because of your investment, more children were provided with a CASA volunteer to amplify their voices. We truly appreciate your investment in children!

If you are not yet part of our donor group, you can give online here! Please consider becoming a Georgia CASA donor or give your next gift as a repeat donor. You can make a difference with a gift of any amount - and a recurring gift is an easy and convenient way to give! Your support has been critical and much appreciated as CASA volunteers continued to serve children and 'keep their eyes on them' during the challenging times of COVID-19. As we look toward the future, CASA volunteers continue to be a critical component of the child welfare system.

Georgia CASA | 404-874-2888 | 800-251-4012 | gacasa.org

Member of The National CASA/GAL Association for Children