February often centers on big gestures and fleeting moments of love. For children living in foster care, love looks different. It is not defined by a single day or gift, but by the adults who continue to show up when life feels uncertain.
Youth experience constant change. New homes, new schools, new routines. What grounds them is consistency. Someone who listens, advocates, and stays present through the hard days as well as the hopeful ones. That steady connection builds trust, safety, and a sense of belonging.
This month, we are reflecting on how love lives in consistency. In the CASA volunteers who show up again and again. In small acts of kindness that remind children they are seen. In simple moments like sharing a story, reading a book, or standing beside a child in court. These are the quiet ways love takes root and changes lives.
My CASA Journey – A steady voice, a consistent presence.
A CASA volunteer can be a stable, steady voice for a child who learned early that adults and life can be very unpredictable. Choosing an activity or place to go AND showing up to take them is a simple act that builds trust. You might not be familiar with Minecraft or hip hop but through these conversations the gift is that you really listen. Your steady voice reminds a teen that – yes – even when tough things happen, you and your belief in them will still be there next week.
In the midst of this ordinary, opportunities to create joy will appear through new experiences that lift and sustains. VOICES and our community partners support CASA volunteers by providing experiences for their youth.
Said one CASA after attending Ballet Arizona’s Nutcracker:
“They had never seen ballet or a live professional theater performance and they loved it. Winter break from school was an especially difficult time for them in the past. Thank you for helping them create joyous memories at this time of year.”
Want to make a difference in your community?
If this story speaks to you come join us at our next information session, and learn what it really means to become a CASA Volunteer.
Positive Outcomes – Turn your Arizona Tax Credit into consistent support for children.
Love shows up again and again. It stays. For the youth the have been removed from their homes and the family they know, that kind of consistency can change everything.
When you use the QFCO tax credit, you help ensure a CASA volunteer shows up consistently, listens carefully, and stands up for a child’s best interests in court, school, and life-changing decisions. Your support also helps provide Hope Bags, essential items, and ongoing resources so volunteers can remain a steady presence during uncertain times.
Through the Arizona Qualifying Foster Care Charitable Organization (QFCO) tax credit, you can redirect a portion of your state taxes to Voices for CASA Children and receive a dollar-for-dollar credit when you file your tax return.
For the 2025 tax year, Arizona taxpayers can claim up to $618 as a single filer or $1,234 as a joint filer. The deadline for tax year 2025 is April 15, 2026.
Love is not just a feeling. It is action, consistency, and commitment. This tax season, you can choose to make your tax dollars an expression of love for children in our community who need it most.
Learn more about the QFCO tax credit.
Tax Credit Benefits
VOICES is a Qualified Foster Care Organization. You can receive tax credit benefits for your donations in the 2025 & 2026 tax filing year! QFCO #10010
#BeTheirVoice
In Focus – The VOICES Board of Directors — Leaning In & Lifting Up
Filled with heart, expertise, and an unwavering commitment to our mission, the VOICES Board of Directors enters 2026 with deep gratitude and a continued sense of urgency. We have an opportunity to leverage VOICES’ strong foundation and accelerate growth that translates into impact experienced at the most personal level, one volunteer and one child at a time.
Our Board reflects the many facets of our community. Members include tenured business leaders, young professionals, retirees, and CASA volunteers—each contributing a distinct and invaluable perspective to VOICES’ strategic direction. Together, they steward long-term sustainability while championing bold ideas that move our mission forward.
We are grateful to all Board members, past and present, and proudly welcome our 2026 Officers: Trista Guzman, President; Jenna Devlin, Vice President; Taylor Rihl, Treasurer; and Debra Heller, Secretary. United in purpose, the VOICES Board consistently stands alongside advocates and the youth being serve—yesterday, today, and to the future.
Community Voice – Partner to celebrate CASA volunteers.
In mid-April, 2026, VOICES will be hosting a special event to honor the incredible CASA of Maricopa County volunteers who walk alongside children living in foster care every single day. These dedicated advocates show up in courtrooms, school meetings, and medical appointments. They listen, they advocate, and they ensure that every child’s voice is heard and their needs are met.
We’d love the business community’s partnership in making this celebration even more meaningful. This CASA volunteer appreciation event is an opportunity to say thank you to the advocates who give so generously of their time and hearts. Your generosity demonstrates that our business community stands beside those who serve youth. Sponsorship opportunities range from $5,000 to $20,000 with visibility benefits including recognition in our newsletter, social media, event program, and our “By Their Side” podcast. Additionally, underwriting opportunities at various levels allow you to support specific event elements and our mission.
We’d love the business community’s partnership in making this celebration meaningful. This CASA volunteer appreciation event, is an opportunity to say thank you to the advocates who give so generously of their time and hearts. Your generosity demonstrates that our business community’s stand beside those who serve youth. Sponsorship opportunities range from $5,000 to $20,000, with visibility benefits including recognition in our newsletter, social media, event program, and our “By Their Side” podcast. Additionally, underwriting opportunities at various levels allow you to support specific event elements and our mission.
Whether you’re looking to make a significant impact as a Presenting Sponsor or support the event through underwriting, there’s a way for your organization to be part of this celebration.
Ready to partner with us?
For questions or to customize a sponsorship package, contact Patti Almirez-Taglianetti at patti.almirez-taglianetti@voicesforcasachildren.org.
Education – Why Connection Heals: The Science Behind the Heart
Research in developmental neuroscience shows that consistent, supportive relationships play a critical role in healing childhood trauma. Trauma disrupts the brain’s stress response system, often keeping children in chronic hyperarousal. This impairs learning, emotional regulation, and the ability to form secure relationships.
The good news is that the developing brain remains highly plastic throughout childhood and adolescence, creating a window for repair. When a young person experiences consistent, predictable care from a trusted adult, their nervous system receives repeated signals of safety. Over time, stress hormone activation decreases, and the prefrontal cortex (responsible for decision-making and emotional regulation) can develop more fully.
These changes are cumulative and measurable. Repeated experiences of calm presence and emotional attunement strengthen neural pathways associated with regulation and secure attachment while reducing reliance on survival-based responses.
From this perspective, connection is not simply supportive; it is biologically necessary. For CASA volunteers, consistent presence and calm engagement function as evidence-based interventions that contribute to healthier brain development and improved outcomes for youth in foster care.
To learn more about this topic, check out our podcast episode, Neuroscience, Trauma, and the Path to Resilience featuring Rick Griffin!
Listen Here (Published June 5, 2025)
The start of a new year invites fresh beginnings and a renewed commitment to showing up. For CASA volunteers, showing up is not about grand resolutions. It is about consistency, care, and meeting a child exactly where they are.
It is crucial that society continuously review, adjust, and strengthen every level of community—whether a municipality, a system, or an individual family—to better support children and youth.
When you ask Google for the definition of Cherish, three statements pop up:
Thank you for the wonderful gifts contributed so far—we’re truly grateful. There is still more impact to be made, and your support can make a difference. Shop now or help spread the word by sharing our holiday gift list.
VOICES recently hosted a live recording of the By Their Side podcast featuring bestselling author and national child welfare advocate, David Ambroz, whose memoir A Place Called Home chronicles his journey from homelessness and foster care to national advocacy.
The recent government shutdown and risk to SNAP benefits reminded us how fragile food security can be for many families. For children, that uncertainty reaches far beyond the dinner table. Research shows that children who experience food insecurity are more likely to struggle with concentration, emotional regulation, and physical development. Chronic hunger can change the way a child’s brain develops, influencing everything from memory to mood.
The holiday season is almost here, and Voices for CASA Children is excited to kick off our Annual Holiday Gift Drive to bring joy to children who are not home for the holiday. For many of these kids, the holidays can stir-up feelings of longing and separation, but a simple gift can remind them that they are seen, cared for, and not alone. Each gift makes a real difference.
The average time for youth living in foster care can vary, but for some youth it may be years. During that time, the foster or group home where the child lives can change due to a variety of factors. Finding stability is challenging, but finding a connection and kinship with someone can happen with a CASA Volunteer.
SCHEELS has been in business for over 120 years and is in 16 states. While they are still fairly new to Arizona, VOICES has already felt the generosity they bring to the community through their employee-led Giving Campaign.
Youth who turn 18 and have not been placed in a permanent home, either through family reunification, guardianship or adoption, face a big decision. They can exit into the world with potentially little support or they can choose to transition into the DCS Extended Foster Care program. CASA volunteers help guide these young adults to make the choice that is in their best interest. Even though the youth may be excited to be on their own, they may not have the transportation, financial means or life skills needed to stay safe, housed and in school.
June is National Family Unification Month. This movement is sponsored by the American Bar Association and celebrates families who have been involved with the Department of Child Safety and achieved permanency through family reunification. The name change from ‘Reunification’ to ‘Unification’ reflects the full spectrum of the family journey from prevention to reunification to unification and long-term healing.
Hope can be a powerful catalyst for change for families navigating the child welfare system, yet it is often overlooked in conversations about advocacy and support. For CASA volunteers and those working with children and families, recognizing the role of hope in a parent’s journey can lead to deeper understanding, greater empathy, and more effective advocacy.
