Blog

In April we went to the Indiana’s baseball game. The game was cancelled but the kids had a lot of fun on the bus ride there, they were able to eat hot dogs and burgers while in the suite and rowdy came to visit them as well. The kids then went out for ice cream. They had a great time and they are getting to know each other and getting along well. I can see that some of the kids are starting to come out of their shell and making friends and talking a lot more with the group. Our next event is May 24th, we will be having the Latino Institute of Indiana come to Child Advocates and discuss with the kids and their caregivers possible resources that are available for them when they are ready to attend college. They will be discussing scholarships, financial aid and how to apply for these. The caregivers are welcome to attend so that they are also aware of what is available for their Youth and what special scholarships are out there for Latino’s.

Overall, I believe the LYLI program is going amazing. The kids love getting together and really enjoy experiencing new things and learning. So far the kids have learned about self –esteem and believing in themselves when we went to the Butler challenge in March. In February we had the career panel and the kids had tons of questions for our Latino Career panelist. The kids asked questions like what the panelist struggled with while in college, how they escaped bad influences, what inspired them.

I believe we are on the right track and the kids are going to keep learning more and more and they are having a great time. I see so much happiness and a difference in their attitude when they come to these events. I feel like it’s a time for them to relax and be themselves and not worry about what else is going on in their lives.

-Barbara Alvarado GAL

"It is inspiring to see corporate leaders standing up for human service needs. At a recent annual shareholders’ meeting, Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz spoke of the ever-increasing gap between federal and state funding and the need for social services:

“We are going to see cuts in social services that we haven’t seen since the Great Depression. The gap between haves and the have-nots is going to get wider and wider,” said Schultz.

I also like the fact that a corporate CEO is willing to speak up for people in need. And Shultz is not alone in this. Jewelers for Children—made up of leaders in the jewelry industry—has supported children’s causes since its founding in 1999. In fact, support from the jewelry industry has helped over 5,000 foster children.

For the life of me, I cannot imagine that supporting children is resulting in more coffee or jewelry sales. There must be a true citizenship motive going on in the efforts of these organizations. Their dollars help, but it is their voices that inspire.

The children we serve need this type of leadership. And they need it now. As Howard Schultz stated, “Business and financial success is best when it’s shared.”3 I challenge corporate leaders to share their success and stand up for our children by providing:

Corporate support to help fill the financial gaps Business expertise to help improve and extend effectiveness Clear messages telling kids they are highly valued.

Young people are more than future consumers. They are more than kids in need. They carry within them the talent and the potential to change the world. And some of them, at least, are our future corporate CEOs.

You can donate and inspire today www.childadvocates.net/give

information provided via www.casaforchildren.org

Over this past weekend a few staff took a little road trip down to Pittsburgh, PA to visit our friends at CASA of Allegheny County. The trip was planned by our Executive Director Cindy Booth. The purpose behind the trip was to visit a CASA program that has executed a Superhero Run event successfully, as we have decided to add this to our list of events in 2012.

Our friends in Pittsburgh are in their second year doing a Superhero Run and I'll have to say it was very exciting to see the amount of people out to support CASA! We had a wonderful time visiting our friends in Pittsburgh and learning from their race experiences. We were able to participate on race day, dressing up as superheros and running the course. It was a wonderful experience and we are looking very forward to our race in October. We are definitely grateful to Melissa and Monica for taking time out of their very busy schedules to show us how to run such a great event!

Detials and specifics are still in the works for our 2012 CASA Superhero 5K/1K Run/Walk.....but information will be on our website soon! We have secured a date so be sure to mark your calendars for October 27 2012 for our first Annual CASA Superhero Run! Dress as your favorite superhero and come out to support a great cause!

Every child needs a hero, but abused children need superheros! For more information on the Superhero Foundation and their partnership with CASA programs go to www.superherorun.com. Don't forget to mark your calendars for Child Advocates Superhero Run/Walk on OCTOBER 27, 2012!

http://www.fox59.com/news/wxin-child-advocates-volunteer-child-advocates-needed-in-marion-county-for-abused-neglected-children-20120326,0,5328125.column

 

 

Take a minuite to catch us on Indiana's Fox 59 News as we ask our community to help Child Advocates support its mission to provide every child with a safe and secure home by adding 250 new volunteers in 2012.

Child Advocates is pleased to announce a new program targeted toward Latino youth foster children. Child Advocates recognizes that often times Latino youth are faced with many challenges such as poverty, English being a second language, little to no supports, citizenship and role models. These challenges become even greater when Latino youth are placed into foster care. For this reason, Child Advocates seeks to assist 10 Latino Youth in Foster care to participate in the Latino Youth Leaders of Indianapolis. The Latino Youth Leaders of Indianapolis will participate in community service projects, become involved in school related activities, meet with positive Latino role models and explore higher education. Contact our LYLI leader Barbara Alvarado for more information on this program and the exciting events planned throughout the year! This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The first Foster Youth Connection of Indiana meeting was a huge success! We had several current foster youth attend this kick off event. This was a time for the youth to meet one another and to tell the story behind their foster care experience. The youth were introduced to Cindy Booth (Director of Child Advocates), Janet Knipe (National Foster Youth Action Network(NFYAN) Director), and Tonya Hightower (NFYAN). Cindy was able to explain how the FYCI was first developed and where the idea originally came from: California Youth Connection. Danielle Pierson gave background information on FYCI and what the commitment to the program would look like. Afterwards everyone watched some clips from the film Place to Place, a true story of two foster youth's journey as they age out of foster care. These two brave individuals traveled on to Capitol Hill to tell their stories in an attempt to change the system. The event wrapped up with excitement and enthusiam for the next meeting which will be held February 4, 2012 at Child Advocates. More information can be found on the website calendar.

state of judiciary 2012.pdf In a speech given on January 11, 2012 Chief Justice Randall Shepard gives his remarks about CASA in Indiana in his last State of the Judiciary. You can read it here where he praises Indiana's recent accomplishment of establishing more CASA programs and training the largest number of new advocates ever! Congrats Indiana!

If there is one thing you can do to help the children of Marion County, it's to volunteer as a CASA. There are several CASA organizations all over the state of Indiana. 72 out of the 90 counties here in Indiana have CASA programs. Get in touch with your local CASA organization to find out more information on how you can help abused and neglected children in your area. Become a volunteer, and change a life.