The days are getting longer, and the flowers are starting to bloom…which means it must be time for our springtime quarterly update! And this quarter has absolutely flown by. We’ve been hard at work and are delighted to share what we’ve been up to with you.
In January, our board of directors approved our comprehensive 2-year (2024-2026) strategic plan. Shaped by our core values of Opportunity, Compassion, Communidad, and Justice, developed by our staff, this plan will guide CASA into an exciting future. And we are well on our way.
We continue to make great strides in our Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging journey and will continue to center even more voices of those that have been under the court’s jurisdiction in our decision-making processes.
Currently we serve 85% of children in our county’s foster care system. One of our major goals is to reach similar rates with youth on probation. We’re proud to share that our juvenile probation program has grown so that now 30% of all those we serve are justice-involved youth, up from 18% just a few months ago. Looking ahead, we will double the number of youths on probation matched with dedicated advocates. We are providing Advocates with many more in-depth juvenile justice training opportunities and the option of observing Juvenile Justice Court before even being matched with a youth.
And, your support is helping change lives of system-involved youth, uplifting our community with strength and resiliency. We recently heard from an Advocate, Gerda. Through her patient listening and genuine care, she worked with a justice-involved youth to help discover his path. In the initial stages, Gerda wasn't sure how she could help, but a genuine connection formed as they explored his interests together. Sharing a love of art, music, nature, and discussion, they’ve been having fun visiting museums and parks, going to movies, and talking about what they’ve seen. With Gerda’s support, the youth has successfully completed his terms of probation and sealed his records. The two have formed a friendship that will last for years to come even though the official CASA role has ended.
Thanks to our hosts, the Friends of CASA, February’s For the Love of Children Luncheon was a wonderful success. We netted $29,000 for the CASA Children’s Fund to provide special items, such as dance and martial arts classes, sports equipment, art supplies, and a variety of other things to help let the children and youth we serve know just how special they are. The Children’s Fund also helps provide children and youth with necessary and essential items that many of us take for granted, including eyeglasses, braces, bedding, strollers, car seats, and tutoring.
We are happy to announce our newly elected board leadership team elected in early March: Josué Barajas, President and Paz Padilla, Vice President. Both are outstanding champions for the children and youth we serve and have dedicated their entire careers to their community.
We closed out this quarter with our Eggstravaganza event at the CASA house. And it was a massive success. Dozens of children, youth, their advocates, and resource and biological parents, decorated egg-shaped cookies, did art projects, and ate pizza and cupcakes. But most importantly, they hunted for eggs filled with chocolate treats deviously hidden by staff.
Now for the numbers...
We served 131 children, 17 children of whom were newly assigned this quarter, waiting only a median of 27 days from referral to match.
· 36 were aged 0-5, 11% of whom were newly assigned.
· 22 were aged 6-11, 10% of whom were newly assigned.
· 55 were aged 12-18, 16% of whom were newly assigned.
· 18 were over 18 years old, 11% of whom were newly assigned.
· 50.33% of children served this quarter were Hispanic or Latino.
· 66% were in Dependency Care, 30% were in Juvenile Justice, and 4% were in both (dual status)
Saturday, May 4th, is our annual MOVE for CASA. All are welcome and registration is free. We would love for you to join us and make some new friends, have some great conversations, get some exercise, and show support for our community’s youth in the foster care and probation systems. And if you can’t make it, please consider a donation at www.casaofsantacruz.org/moveforcasa
Hope to see you there!
