'Little Houses' can still be won
From Viki Teague,
Conway: Friday, January 19, 2001
Mothers, dads, grannies, gramps, Aunts and uncs! Listen up children! Hey, all of you preschool workers, children's groups, Sunday school teachers, and day-care providers. Here is good news! You still have a chance to win a "Little House". Because of the ice, snow and cold our darling "Little Play Houses" were not quite finished in time to have the previously announced drawing on Dec. 23.
Tickets, which are only $2 or three for $5, are still available at CASA, 1409 Robinson Ave.; The STOP Domestic Violence Victim's Service Center, 844 Faulkner St.; Ed's Bakery, PlaySmart Toys, The Cake Co., Just T's-N, Little B's, Ashley-Pauley's Dugout, Yellow Brick Road, Henry Hawk & Assoc. Real Estate and all the First State Bank locations.
Money from the sale of these tickets will go to fund services provided to victims of violence, abuse and neglect who are served by the 20th Judicial District Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children and the Special Team of the STOP Domestic Violence Victim's Service Center.
Neither of these organizations receive support from United Way or other charitable funders. Your support of these local service providers is crucial to their operation.
In closing, I would again like to express a heartfelt and sincere, thank you to Nabholz Construction Corp. for the donation of the "Little Houses."
(EDITOR'S NOTE: Viki Teague is coordinator of the "Little Houses" fund-raising project.)
~~~~Article Two
Local CASA receives grant, accepting application
Friday, June 22, 2001
The Court Appointed Special Advocates program of the 20th judicial district, headquartered in Conway, was recently awarded a $47,000 grant from the national CASA association.
The money will be used to expand advocacy for abused and neglected children in Faulkner County and throughout the district, according to a press release from the organization.
The grant is a vote of confidence in the ability of the CASA in Conway to provide excellent services to the abused and neglected children within the community, according to Michael Piraino, CEO of the national CASA program.
The local program began in November and the first volunteers were sworn in in March. At the beginning of the year, there were 107 cases of child abuse and neglect involving 181 children within the district.
Applications are now being accepted for an upcoming training session for volunteers set for July 9. The training requires 30 hours of instruction on a variety of topics. Volunteers will also be interviewed as well as undergo a background check.
For more information, CASA can be contacted at 328-3347 or by e-mail at facasa@conwaycorp.net.
~~~Article Three
CASA to sponsor program on drug awareness Saturday
Sunday, July 22, 2001
Court Appointed Special Advocates of the 20th Judicial District will sponsor a drug awareness program from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, July 28, at the Faulkner County Library. The public is invited.
Lisa Ray of Little Rock, field service treatment manager for the Department of Correction, will present the program.
Topics to be discussed will include how to identify drug users, thinking patterns of addicted people, brain chemistry, drug treatment options and placements, identification of drugs, and social and physical issues of addicted babies.
For more information, call CASA at 328-3347.
~~~~Article Four
Thursday, December 6, 2001
Special tree for CASA
Students and teachers from KidCo pose with a tree they decorated at the Court Appointed Special Advocates offices on Wednesday. The youngsters made the decorations for the tree, which is in CASA's new offices in Wingate Plaza. CASA officials said they hoped that the students would make ornaments to add to the tree next year.
~~~Article Five
Playhouse effort was successful
From Louise Furst,
Conway:
Tuesday, February 20, 2001
Congratulations to our two playhouse winners. Troy Acklin of Conway won the Hide-Out and Kerbie Foster of Maumelle won the Sweetie's House.
The event was sponsored by the Court Appointed Special Advocates of the Arkansas 20th Judicial District and the Special Team on Prevention of Domestic Violence. Funds have been equally divided between CASA, Court Appointed Special Advocates for children and Victim's Services Center. Thanks to Viki Teague, CASA board member and STOP DV volunteer, and Warfield Teague for finding the plans and arranging for Nabholz Construction Corp. to build and deliver two expertly built playhouses.
As usual, the merchants and residents of Conway came forward in support of our cause. Many thanks to the following for helping with the ticket sales that made our fund-raiser a success. Ashley-Pauley's Dugout, Ed's Custom Bakery, Henry Hawk & Associates Real Estate, Just T's-N, Little B's Mexican Food & Steak House, Play Smart Toys, The Cake Company, Treasure Chest Toys, Yellow Brick Road Children's Shop, and all First State Bank locations.
A very special thank-you to these super ticket sellers and special friends: Paula Bruner, Arlene Lasker, Julie Melton, Dr. Chris Spatz and Dr. Pebble Sutherland. Can't forget Bobby Graddy, Ricky Graddy, Dee Lawrence and Warfield Teague who all had the privilege of hauling our houses.
Again, a heartfelt thanks to Nabholz Construction which built the houses and to all the above.
(EDITOR'S NOTE: Louise Furst is a STOP DV volunteer and a CASA board member.)
~~~Article Six
CASA to sponsor program on drug awareness Saturday
Sunday, July 22, 2001
Court Appointed Special Advocates of the 20th Judicial District will sponsor a drug awareness program from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, July 28, at the Faulkner County Library. The public is invited.
Lisa Ray of Little Rock, field service treatment manager for the Department of Correction, will present the program.
Topics to be discussed will include how to identify drug users, thinking patterns of addicted people, brain chemistry, drug treatment options and placements, identification of drugs, and social and physical issues of addicted babies.
For more information, call CASA at 328-3347.~~~Article Seven
Cabin Window: Friends
CASA is big help to kids
Tuesday, March 13, 2001
Log Cabin Democrat
Nobody likes to go to court. It's a scary, intimidating proposition. Those unaccustomed to the process find themselves surrounded by strangers, hearing words and phrases with which they are unfamiliar and finding out their lives have been altered by a stranger saying something they don't even understand.
Imagine a child in that same situation.
It's getting more and more common for children to find themselves in a courtroom situation through no fault of their own. They may have been in a situation where they were being abused or neglected and the "system" is looking to protect them.
There is now an organization of volunteers that is looking out for these kids. CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) swore in its first nine volunteers last week, and these standout members of the community will be spending time with children who find themselves in these courtroom situations. In addition to explaining what is going on in court, the CASA workers also make sure the family is getting and continuing with whatever counseling or treatment has been required, and that other court orders are followed.
These volunteers also can just be a friend to a child who feels he has no one else to turn to.
The nine individuals who are giving their time and service to this program are, as the name states, "special advocates." They are advocates for the children who are lost. They are advocates for the children's protection not just today, but tomorrow and next week and beyond.
These people -- Sheila Beaston, Gary Burden, Carol Gray, Nita McCracken, Cindy Miller, Paul Peterson, Chris Spatz, Thea Spatz and Warfield Teague -- deserve praise for what they have decided to take on, for the training they have undergone and for how they will help children.
There are a couple of sad points to this story. One is that these volunteers are needed in the first place. This is a tough world, and sometimes children are not treated right. Someone has to be there to help those who can't help themselves, and that is why there is a place for these volunteers. The second is that more volunteers are needed to ensure every child in this situation has an advocate.
But enough of the downside, more good news is that there are others who have expressed their interest, as well, and are only waiting for a training session.
Life is not perfect in Faulkner County, but an organization like CASA can make it a lot more livable for some.
~~~Article Seven
Cabin Window: CASA
Heartbreaking and rewarding
Wednesday, January 3, 2001
Many people in the world have heartbreaking jobs.
Just think about firefighters who have to tell families that their homes are total losses, or doctors who have to inform families about the death of loved ones, or police officers who have to take young people to jail.
It takes a strong constitution to pull off these jobs without becoming a casualty yourself.
But at least one group in Faulkner County is made up of heart-breaking jobs with a slight twist: the Court Appointed Special Advocates.
This private nonprofit organization of volunteers is dedicated to representing children in the juvenile court system who have been removed from their homes due to abuse or neglect in order to find them permanent safe homes. That's the twist: A bad situation can turn happy and healthy with the help of CASA's volunteers.
Faulkner County's CASA group is still on the ground floor of a program that has grown tremendously throughout Arkansas in the past few years. CASA in Arkansas is a relatively new program, compared to many other human-service organizations we see in action. But since its inception, this program has had a strong feeling of dedication and enthusiasm from its volunteers, leaders and directors.
And this enthusiasm is very contagious, as Faulkner County folks will undoubtedly see. This month, the CASA folks hope to introduce their bunch of volunteers to the public and are seeking more helping hands.
These volunteers will have to go through extensive screenings, training and hard work before being assigned a child to guide through the court system and hopefully to a safe place in which to live. Volunteers are being asked to commit between 10 and 15 hours a month for the entire length of a case (which is usually about one year).
This type of job is not for everyone, but anyone who feels they can handle a high-stress, high-reward job should give it a try. Volunteering can be a wonderful reward in itself, but helping children makes the reward that much more sweet.
It's time to make 2001 a great year for CASA in Faulkner County.
~~~Article Eight
Local CASA receives grant, accepting applications
By the Log Cabin Staff
Friday, June 22, 2001
The Court Appointed Special Advocates program of the 20th judicial district, headquartered in Conway, was recently awarded a $47,000 grant from the national CASA association.
The money will be used to expand advocacy for abused and neglected children in Faulkner County and throughout the district, according to a press release from the organization.
The grant is a vote of confidence in the ability of the CASA in Conway to provide excellent services to the abused and neglected children within the community, according to Michael Piraino, CEO of the national CASA program.
The local program began in November and the first volunteers were sworn in in March. At the beginning of the year, there were 107 cases of child abuse and neglect involving 181 children within the district.
Applications are now being accepted for an upcoming training session for volunteers set for July 9. The training requires 30 hours of instruction on a variety of topics. Volunteers will also be interviewed as well as undergo a background check.
For more information, CASA can be contacted at 328-3347 or by e-mail at facasa@conwaycorp.net.
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