Online training available to learn how to prevent, recognize, and react responsibly to child sexual abuse.

An alternative way to fulfill your required Mandated Reporter Training

DID YOU KNOW?
CASA has a new Activity Fund that can be utilized to underwrite the costs of activities when you're on visits with your CASA child (up to $40/month). Examples of reimbursable activities include: Snacks/meals, movies, parking, etc. You should document these expenses in your Optima Contact Log and send a copy of your receipt to your Advocate Supervisor. Contact your Advocate Supervisor for more details if needed. (This benefit will be available as long as funds remain available.)

The Environmental Science Workshop is a unique program for students to engage in hands-on science concepts, while gaining an appreciation for how surplus materials can be kept out of the landfill and re-used in creative and exciting ways.

Capitola City Leadership Council is seeking for youth to be on the strategic plan core team.
Applicants must live within the Soquel Union Elementary School District, and have participated in at least one Capitola Recreation Program. Must be accompanied to meetings by an adult if under the age of 18.

Information regarding parking at the CASA house, please read.

Contact Erika Anderson at Erika.anderson@santacruzcounty.us or call (831) 454-7229 to schedule your tour.

STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math) in the library will be for ages 8-12.

Participants will learn about and make (electronic) creations from little bits kits with the help of staff from the Environmental Science workshop.

Wednesdays, 3:00 p.m.
Watsonville Main Library Storytime Room

The Environmental Science Workshop is a unique program for students to engage in hands-on science concepts, while gaining an appreciation for how surplus materials can be kept out of the landfill and re-used in creative and exciting ways.

Free entrance to MOD for advocates & CASA children.
1855 41st Ave, Suite C-10, Capitola

886 Cannery Row, Monterey, CA 93940

425 Washington Street, Monterey

Lynne Petrovic, our Executive Director, wants to let you know that CASA of Santa Cruz is doing exactly what it's always done and exactly what we love doing- advocating for children. It's going to take a lot more than a shelter in place order to slow us down from doing that.

Sign up for an online Volunteer Information Meeting to learn more about becoming a Court Appointed Special Advocate today.

We treasure the opportunities that we have to see you and have fun with you and as such we truly regret not being able to participate in these two fundraisers.  But we also trust that our caring and supportive community will come together in other ways to support each other through these current times no matter what comes our way due to COVID-19.  

Our CASA team wants you to know that we are actively following the CDC and local guidelines and recommendations regarding maintaining our healthy environment at the CASA House.  We are also planning for the future so that we are able to implement any additional guidelines and recommendations that may be made in the future. As we monitor the recommendations, we will keep you updated on any guidelines that may impact our office.  As always, our primary focus is the safety and wellbeing of the children, youth and the families that we serve.   

We are sad to announce that Lyndsey Marks will be leaving her position as Development and Communications Director at CASA. We appreciate all the good work she has done. We will miss her dearly and we wish her all the best.

Please share the job description widely to help us find the best fit for our team. The deadline to apply is March 9, 2020.

At CASA of Santa Cruz we love our Advocates! For this Valentine’s Day we made a list of the reasons why we love Advocates and wanted to share the love with you.

We are excited to share that there will soon be a California Youth Connection (CYC) in Santa Cruz County. They are currently in the recruitment process and are trying to identify Chapter Members ages 14-24 as well as adult Volunteer Supporters.

California Youth Connection was founded in 1988 by a group of foster youth and supportive adults to provide a vehicle for California foster youth to learn leadership and advocacy skills and to engage directly with policymakers to improve the foster care system. Founded on the model of youth empowerment, CYC maintains a dual focus on policy and youth development. CYC is the only organization in California to engage foster and probation youth in the policy-making process. Our foster and probation youth leaders have created a fundamental paradigm shift in child welfare policy in California, ensuring that foster and probation placement youth ages 14-24 are at the center of child welfare policymaking for the first time in history.

If you or you know any foster/probation youth ages 14-24 you are working with that you think would be interested in participating in a local chapter in Santa Cruz County to advocate on the statewide level to improve foster youth outcomes, contact Chad Platt:

Chad Platt
Bay Area Regional Coordinator
California Youth Connection
831-247-7115
chad@calyouthconn.org
www.calyouthconn.org

Our lovely Trish Perez has an amazing opportunity and will be leaving her role at CASA at the end of January. We are grateful for her time with us.
Please help us find a new Administrative Assistant to join our team.

CASA of Santa Cruz County has been selected as one of four CASA programs in the State of California to participate in a Pilot Project to serve youth in the Juvenile Justice system, a.k.a. youth on probation.

Susan wanted to have 100 children when she grew up. She and her husband compromised at three kids of their own. But she knew she wanted to help young people. After retiring from her long career as a lawyer, she went looking for an opportunity to make a difference.
Susan may not have had those 100 children she wanted when she was young, but she is making a major difference for quite a few CASA youth.  Read the full article here.