Volunteer Appreciation

YWCA Clark County CASA Program Staff would like to recognize the 224 volunteers who provided approximately 36,000 hours of service and served over 650 children and families in 2014. Your role as an advocate is fundamental in the life of each and every child we serve. Thank You to all our volunteers who so generously contribute to the safety of the most vulnerable children in our community and the quality of our Clark County YWCA CASA Program.

Judy Reel joined the CASA Program in 2014. Judy is a valuable resource and voice for the 2 children she is currently serving and the family unit as a whole. We would like to highlight some of Judy’s accomplishments in 2014; Judy facilitated the donation of sleeping bags that the children needed for camp, ensured the children’s applications for the Big Brothers and Big Sisters program were completed; the young lady she is serving is enjoying her Big Sister and the young man is on a waiting list for his Big Brother. Judy maintains regular contact with the children and their services providers to ensure the children’s needs are meet and advocates to ensure efforts are in their best interest. Judy is readily available to support the children and family care provider to ensure their needs and concerns get addressed in a timely manner. Thank you, Judy Reel for being an amazing Clark County CASA Advocate.

Janice Wright joined the CASA Program in 2012 and is currently serving 3 families and 5 children- all under the age of 3. Janice served a total of 4 families and 6 children in 2014. Janice strives to promote reunification and services for children and parents to ensure healthy and safe reunifications- if possible. She has been a valuable resource and voice for the children she serves. Janice strongly advocated for a child who was 2 grade levels behind his peers and not reaching benchmark. He desperately needed additional educational supports and it was part of his service plan, however after multiple delays from the referring resource, Janice prevailed in court when the commissioner ordered tutoring. One of the most beautiful connections Janice has made is with the very young mother- who too is a dependent child. Although, Janice is not an advocate for this mother she had been an amazing support in effort to get the mother to engage with the department, services, and to strive to seek reunification of her child. Thank you, Janice Wright for being an amazing Clark County CASA Advocate.

Betsy Sanford Betsy has had a very successful year advocating for three children in two cases. Betsy has helped establish and maintain much needed academic support for one child, empathetically supported another through a move to a new foster home, and helped a teen find her voice and the strength to be herself. Betsy attends every urgent meeting, stays persistent in communication even when others do not, and stands strong in court to guarantee her children are being heard and their lives respected. Betsy’s dedication to learning about her CASA children, their wants, their needs, their hopes, and fears as well as her unwavering compassion for them to have the best lives they can shows in her ever present efforts to champion without compromise for what’s in their best interest. 

Cheri Walker started with the CASA program in 2014. Cheri has done an amazing job jumping in with both feet. Cheri has two cases; a teenager and a little one, both with very different challenges. One of her cases has been through a few Advocates due to the great challenges involved with the case. Cheri has worked hard, persevered despite the numerous obstacles and set-back’s she’s faced, never giving up for this child. We are so impressed and proud to have such a dedicated and amazing advocate on our team! Thank you Cheri for all your hard work!

Sharon Crouch started with the CASA program in 2014. She has had 3 cases, one which has had a successful return home, one almost complete with adoption, and one that the outcome is still unknown. Sharon has diligently investigated her cases to make sure every piece is looked into and considered, there is no rock left unturned in her cases! She has also mentored some of our newest volunteers! Sharon is amazingly organized, extremely reliable, dedicated, and one of the first to step up and help when an extra hand is needed. Sharon, your hard work and dedication not only to the kids, but to the others in the program as well is invaluable! Thank you for your amazing service to CASA.

Meet Kelli Burgad

I was born and raised in Montana; a real Montana girl that loves to hike, fly fish, camp, and do anything that entails outdoor fun! I am fiercely independent and not afraid to adventure out on my own. I moved out the week after graduating high school. I was well prepared as I started collecting items for my own apartment from the time I was a freshman in high school. I am defiantly an introvert and need my alone time, but also find a great passion helping those in need.

I started my first adventure at Boise State University. Yep, the big BLUE turf! I was on track to go to Boise State on a Gymnastics scholarship until I broke my back. That ended my gymnastics days, but I still felt a commitment and connection to BSU. I have always had a love for kids, babysitting, coaching, and teaching pre-school; eventually gaining my degree in Early Childhood Education. I then moved to Vancouver WA to be closer to my brother, where I experienced my first job working with at risk children and families in a school setting. I fell in love with helping families but felt uneducated in the mental health side of things, so I decided to further my education at WSU Vancouver. Go Cougs! I received a degree in Psychology and Human Development. I did experience some of my own hardships, and that gives me great empathy and understanding when working with the families we serve.

I stayed home with my own two kids until they both were in school full time before jumping back into the workforce. My family continues to be my love and priority! I started with CASA almost 7 years ago as a volunteer while I was still home with my kids and timing worked out perfect as an employment opportunity opened up when my youngest was starting first grade. I do this work due to the great fulfillment it gives; there is nothing better than genuinely knowing you made a difference in a child’s life!! I am careful to include self-care in my daily routine so I can continue to be an effective advocate for our kids and supportive supervisor to my advocates, in which I greatly appreciate and admire what you each bring to our program. I keep my secondary trauma at bay by being very self-aware, practicing Yoga, enjoying yard work, reading, and spending time with my kids and their many activities. I also give great thanks to my wonderfully supportive husband and extended family that put up with my many quirks!

Meet Wendy Lenz

Wendy Lenz, Interim Program Director of Clark County CASA

From an early age, I have always had an interest in advocating for children. Growing up on a competitive swim team, it seemed natural as a teen to mentor younger kids entering our local swim club. As a young adult, combining my love for animals and children, I volunteered for a program called Rancho De Los Animals, this organization offered the opportunity for children with disabilities to interact with all types of animals and ride horse back. My time as a volunteer guest host at Mt. Hood Meadows allowed me to interact with children on the slopes and I was a lunch buddy for a kiddo at Lincoln elementary.

I knew I wanted my career path to align with my lifelong commitment to supporting children, however I had a hard time finding the right opportunity. While working at the Volunteer Lawyers Program, I was introduced to the services of the YWCA. After inquiring about volunteer opportunities, I clearly identified with the CASA program, however, the pre-service training classes weren’t compatible with my working hours, so instead, I trained with and volunteered for the SafeChoice program. After a year of volunteering, I was hired on as a SafeChoice advocate. After multiple years of working at the Domestic Violence Prosecution Center, I set my sights on CASA once again. When a paid position came open in our program, I jumped on the opportunity and was fortunate to be offered the position.

 There is nothing more rewarding in the work I do than partnering with compassionate volunteers. This, coupled with the joy of seeing families heal, brings a sense of personal satisfaction that I’ve never experienced in past volunteer or paid work. The holistic connection with my community brings meaning to my professional and personal intentions. I am proud to be a Guardian Ad Litem for abused and neglected children and to be connected with an organization committed to educating, supporting and healing our community.

Family Assessment Response

Washington is one of nine states that have been selected for a new federal waiver program that was approved by President Obama in 2011, as part of the Child and Family Services Improvement and Innovation Act. In preparation of the wavier application and state reform on child welfare services in March 2012, Washington State signed the following bills into law; Senate Bill 6555- Family Assessment Response (FAR), House Bill 2536 Evidence Based Practices, House Bill 2264 Performance Based Contracting, and House Bill 2263 Reinvesting Savings.

The new program Family Assessment Response (FAR) offers alternatives to Child Protective Services (CPS) and promotes the focus to a family’s needs. CPS will determine and refer families to FAR, Investigative Response, or Screen out. Families with intakes screened in for low to moderate risk, minor physical abuse or neglect will be offered FAR. Families with intakes screened in for imminent harm, high risk serious physical abuse, sexual abuse or exploitation, serious high risk neglect and criminal situations will be assigned to the investigative response and court intervention. 
The federal waiver does not allocate additional funds to the state, however it allows the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) to obtain and make better use of federal public funds within the child welfare system for prevention and in home services. Currently, the federal government provides funding reimbursements for eligible children in out of home care. The waiver allows DSHS to evaluate families on individual basis and intervene with services that could help preserve families and keep children in their own homes. DSHS will be able to provide families with preventative and support services, with federal funding such as housing assistance. The Department can now obtain and use these funds to prevent out of home care, reentry into the foster care system and court intervention.

The goal of the FAR pathway is to assess the family’s strengths and needs, offer services to meet their needs and prevent future maltreatment. The FAR assessment is completed in collaboration with the family. Involvement with FAR will be voluntary. The FAR programs guidelines allow the Department 45 days -90 with an extension to connect the family to support services and community service providers. The success of the FAR pathway will require the community’s involvement and resources. Clark County rolled out Family Assessment Response in October 2014.

Caring for Yourself while Caring for Others

You have a wonderful heart for taking care of others, but are you taking care of yourself too? It is very common for individuals that work with trauma victims to develop Compassion fatigue. As we work with such trauma it is imperative that SELF CARE is included as part of your job/volunteering. Everyone is unique so it is important to find your best self-care so you can be the best YOU when helping others. Take some time for yourself today.

Self-Care ideas:

• Find someone to talk to or journal 
• Start exercising and eating properly 
• Get enough sleep 
• Take some time off 
• Do something fun 
• Go complaint free for at least a day 
• Surround yourself with healthy positive individuals 
• Take time to relax and slow down 
• Let go of what you cannot control