Voice for CASA Children

Category: VOICES News

  • Toy Drive for Foster Care Children Kicks into Gear

    Toy Drive for Foster Care Children Kicks into Gear

    Neighborhood hero Tom Hatten, CEO and founder of Mountainside Fitness, sat down with Peoria Independent to talk about our annual Toy Drive

    The Voices Toy Drive, which helps every child in Arizona’s foster care system, has kicked off and runs through Dec. 10.

    The drive provides brand new, age-appropriate items such as toys, games, books, sports equipment, and science and art kits for infants and children up to 11 years old living in foster care. For teens ages 12 to 17, gift cards are appreciated for food and fun (Starbucks, Coldstone, Jamba Juice, etc.), movies and especially Walmart and Target to buy items they need.

    Drop-off locations are available at every Mountainside Fitness, with Northwest Valley locations in Peoria, Glendale and Surprise.

    To learn more, read the full article here.

  • ABC15 Segment – CASA Larry Speak In Honor of Hispanic Heritage Month

  • FOX10 – ASU Thetas Fundraise for Voices for CASA Children with Annual Dodgeball Tournament

  • FOX10 – Bruce Arian’s Legacy in Phoenix, AZ

  • Despierta Arizona – Voices for CASA Children 2019

  • VOICES Guest Interviews with Marty Manning, Valley Radio Legend

    VOICES Guest Interviews with Marty Manning, Valley Radio Legend

    Voices for CASA  Children was invited by Valley radio legend Marty Manning to discuss the CASA program and about how people can get involved.  Listen to the interview on iHeartRadio’s Valley Views with Marty Manning to hear VOICES Marketing Manager Christine Slomski talk about the importance of this role and the impact it plays in the lives of foster youth.

  • The Great CASA Telethon of 2018

    The Great CASA Telethon of 2018

    Contributed by Valerie Neumann, CASA Volunteer

    2018 started off with a “BANG!” for the CASA Program throughout Arizona. January was host to the CASA of Arizona Telethon—a statewide recruitment effort on January 23rd that caught the attention of thousands of viewers throughout the day and evening on AZFamily. CASA volunteers were quick to answer phones to speak to Arizona residents calling in from nearly every county throughout the state!  Two CASA volunteers share about the fun and frenzied experience in the Channel 5 Media Room!

    “I have had many people approach me in the last week who saw me on TV and want to know more. So the telethon is still paying dividends.  People from my gym and people I used to work with!! My gym friends and/or acquaintance wanted to know how I heard about CASA and why did I chose CASA.  I told them I had a former colleague who was a CASA, I had a former colleague who was a foster parent who eventually adopted his foster son and in former life (I was in federal law enforcement), I saw how having an advocate, a voice, a chance could make the difference.  I spent 26 years as a public servant and I wanted and needed to continue that service in my retired volunteer life.” ~ Suzanne Solomon

    “Out of the many phone calls, one really stood out for me. A woman called in and said she was interested in becoming a CASA.  She said she would include her husband in one of our information events as she thought he would consider being one too. The caller said they were both retired and more flexible in their time. She said she was ‘personally moved by the telethon because when she was five, she was a foster child and was adopted’.  Telling me, she sounded like she was choking on tears.  “Wow, what personal life experience she would bring as a CASA.” ~ Carolyn Blaney-Arndt

  • VOICES Opens Training Center

    VOICES Opens Training Center

    Contributed by Valerie Neumann, CASA Volunteer

    In the weeks following the start of 2018, volunteers and staff members were hard at work to open the new VOICES Training Center. An extension of the VOICES administrative offices in Old Town Scottsdale, the Training Center is home to CASA trainings, recruitment events, volunteer orientations, and everything in between! Meet Rosie Ronnow, Training and Program Coordinator at VOICES. Rosie provides a tour of the Training Center along with what’s coming up on the calendar for 2018.

    I am thrilled to introduce our new Training Center; not only to our VOICES family, but also to the broader Court Appointed Special Advocate Community.

    This community of CASA Volunteers is filled with knowledge, passion, and heart. Our vision for this training space is to support and empower CASA volunteers, and we hope that this space will allow CASA volunteers to connect with each other, and to resources in the community. The saying, “Knowledge is power” is age-old, yet it holds true for every individual who advocates for a child in state care. New research

    and information is constantly emerging, providing new information about how we can best serve and support the children we are working with. With the VOICES Training Center, our goal is to provide trainings that are relevant, current, useful and interesting to CASA volunteers, equipping them with knowledge that will allow them to be the best advocates possible for the best interest of their CASA children.

  • The VOICES Team Grows in 2018

    The VOICES Team Grows in 2018

    Expanded Programs and CASA Support

    With 2018 starting out with a big, CASA BANG!, there’s great need to expand programs and CASA support in Maricopa County. VOICES is thrilled to announce the growth of its team with the addition of dynamic staff members and one new Board member. Each individual brings talent, insight, and gusto for carrying out the VOICES mission of providing a voice for every child in Maricopa County’s foster care system. Meet the crew below!

    Amanda McNally Koeller oversees the accounting function for Voices for CASA Children.  Amanda is passionate about educating and improving the lives of children.  In her previous positions, she has worked for both the private and non-profit sectors in financial leadership roles. She has served as Treasurer on several non-profit Boards over the past ten years, as both a staff member and a volunteer.   Amanda has a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Communications and Marketing from Eastern Michigan University, and holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Phoenix.  She currently serves as Secretary/Treasurer of the Aztec Wrestling Booster Club, Science Chair for the Aprende Parent Teacher Student Organization and Scholarship Chair for Help-Dream Organization.

    Diane Gardner joins the Voices for CASA Children team with great enthusiasm, filling the role of Child Enrichment Specialist. Diane retired from a 34-year career in technology, most recently serving as the Chief Information (Technology) Officer for the City of Mesa.  Having volunteered for a variety of non-profit organizations during her career, she is delighted to be able to focus her time on VOICES’ critical mission in support of Arizona’s children. Her family holds a healthy non-profit track record and sense of altruism as well: Diane’s husband of 35 years and her oldest daughter each serve in non-profit organizations, and her youngest daughter currently practices veterinary medicine in the Valley.  Diane loves planning traveling adventures for the family and holds the title of Chief Party Planner (CPP)! Outside of coordinating child enrichment opportunities with the community and CASA volunteers, Diane spends time with her four-year-old granddaughter and creatively “attempts” in all things crafting.  Originally raised in Wyoming, Diane and her family happily call Arizona home.

    Dylan Marks joins the Voices for CASA Children staff as a Family Finding Specialist. In his role, Dylan works in collaboration with multiple agencies to identify, locate, and engage with dependent children’s existing relatives and other supportive adults with the goal of creating new life-long connections and establishing permanency for those children. Dylan has experience working with law firms specializing in family law, and licensing agencies in the foster care system. He an active member of various grassroots organizations in his community and has a passion for advocacy and volunteerism. In his free time, Dylan enjoys reading, playing music and brewing coffee. He’s somewhat of a connoisseur of coffee.

    George Turner joined the VOICES board in 2018 after learning about the organization and meeting Board members at Statewide CASA Support Council meetings. He currently also serves as Governing Board President for Navajo County Friends of CASA and divides his time between his Pinetop and Scottsdale homes. George and his family retired to the Pinetop area after a 33-year career with Motorola Inc., which included assignments in the Phoenix area, Chicago, and Seoul, South Korea. He has always been interested in the education and welfare of children, and served on the Board for Blue Ridge Unified School District for ten years, including seven years as its President. George and his wife, Liz, have two grown daughters both living and working in the Phoenix area. George enjoys most sports, is a semi-serious golfer, an avid reader, loves cars and motorcycles, and enjoys traveling.

    Rosie Ronnow brings great energy to the Voices for CASA Children team as its Training and Program Coordinator. Rosie has a background in community development, health education and volunteer management, and received her Master’s in Public Health in 2015 in Australia. She is passionate about creating healthy communities where children can thrive, and supporting the many amazing volunteers who work with children in Maricopa County’s foster care system. Rosie is an Arizona native, yet spent four of the last six years expanding her horizons abroad, having lived in Denmark and Australia. She enjoys traveling and hiking, and spending time with her husband, David, and new baby girl, Sienna. Rosie is also the proud mother to one “fur baby”, Gunner.

     

     

  • Scottsdale-based Boutique Supports CASA Program

Thank you for your interest in becoming a CASA.

After completing this form you will be directed to the CASA volunteer application which is located on the CASA of Maricopa County website. If you have any questions please contact us at info@voicesforcasachildren.org.

Thank you! You will now be directed to the CASA application. Feel free to call us during business hours - (480) 685-4888.

Voices for CASA Children is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

Learn More header

Thank you for your interest in becoming a CASA.

After completing this form you will be directed to the CASA volunteer application which is located on the CASA of Maricopa County website. If you have any questions please contact us at info@voicesforcasachildren.org.

Thank you! You will now be directed to the CASA application. Feel free to call us during business hours - (480) 685-4888.

Voices for CASA Children is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.