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From Robin Allen:
Please join me in welcoming David F. Perry as Associate Director of California CASA. David brings an extraordinary array of attributes and skills to our work. In his first three days with us he attended San Francisco CASA’s (amazing) luncheon, stepped right up, demonstrating his impressive networking skills, introduced me to people I have never met who can be very helpful to all of us, and made many new friends. He has quickly wrapped his arms around what needs to be done and hit the ground running. He seems unfazed by the reality that in his first two weeks on the job I will be in the office for only two of the ten days and he has a plan for what will occur in my absence!

I appreciate how patient and understanding all of you have been as we have gone through so much change in so little time. David brings wisdom, maturity, his skills as an attorney and his deep personal understanding of the needs of the children and youth we serve. I look forward to the coming months and years with confidence about our ability to work with you towards our common vision.

From David Perry:
It is my pleasure to extend a warm greeting as well as my personal gratitude to all of you who make up the California CASA “family.” I consider it an honor and a privilege to have the opportunity to serve the very deserving, yet underserved, youth of California alongside each of you.

As a former foster youth and an attorney, I hope to bring both a personal understanding of the issues facing foster youth along with a skill set which will compliment those of others in the CASA organization in the worthwhile work of serving our youth. I say “our youth” because as we know, as a society, these are our youth and we are collectively responsible for them. As a board member of First Place For Youth, Inc. and now a member of the staff of the California CASA Association, I am in the enviable position “working” at a “job” which coincides with my passionate feelings about the youth we serve and the issues they face. I look forward to working with all of you and assisting in any way possible in the important work of CASA!

                                                        David F. Perry
                                                    Associate Director
                                         California CASA Association

On March 4th and 5th Robin Allen traveled with the National CASA Delegation to Washington D.C. The purpose of this visit on Capitol Hill was to 1) acquaint key Congressional representatives with CASA/GAL in their communities and to enlist their support; and 2) secure their support for full funding of CASA in Fiscal year 2009. Below are the representatives Robin had the opportunity to share information about CASA with.

Representatives:
Congressman Mike Honda (D -15^th District)
Congressman Fortney "Pete" Stark (D -13^th District)
Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (D - 34^th District)
Congressman George Miller (D -7^th District)
Congressman Adam Schiff (D -29^th District)
Congressman Dennis Cardoza (D -18^th District)
Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey (D -6^th District)
Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi (D- 8^th District)
Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren (D-16^th District)
Congresswoman Linda Sanchez (D-39^th District)
Senator Dianne Feinstein (D)
Senator Barbara Boxer (D)

The Yurok Tribe CASA Program would like to share tribal items they currently have for sell from their 2008 Spring Catalog. All proceeds directly benefit the Tribal CASA program (with the exception of the basket weave designs on CD). Please go to: http://www.yuroktribalcourt.com/ and scroll down to find the Spring CASA Catalog 2008 link. If you have questions regarding the quantity of supplies, shipping costs or order information please contact Jeanne Riecke (jriecke@yuroktribe.nsn.us).

Yurok Tribal Earrings (currently not listed in catalog)
Silver findings with a selection of olivella shells, dentalium, small clam shells and abalone. Mixed with glass beads in spring green, pink, light blue, red, royal blue or lavender. $15.00 plus $1.50 shipping.

We hope you all noticed the video camera during the Blue Ribbon Commission Hearing on Foster Care which was held during CalCASA's statewide convening. We are glad to announce we have the final cut of a short video that was made from the footage of the testimonies at the hearing. A DVD was mailed to each Executive Director or Program Manager. If you did not receive your copy in the mail please contact Herbie Vanderhorst.

Once you've had a chance to watch the video or even better, the opportunity to use the video we would greatly appreciate feedback, your input is very valuable to us. We ask that you take a brief survey to better inform us on the effectiveness of the video throughout the CASA network. The last day to complete the survey is Thursday, May 1, 2008.

Please follow the link below to start the 9 question survey that should take just a few minutes to complete. Thank you all for your participation and feedback.



IN THIS EDITION: 1. CalCASA Welcomes David Perry! 2. National CASA Delegation to D.C. 3. Yurok Tribal CASA Fundraiser 4. BRC Hearing on Foster Care DVD			1. CalCASA WELCOMES David Perry! From Robin Allen: Please join me in welcoming David F. Perry as Associate Director of California CASA. David brings an extraordinary array of attributes and skills to our work. In his first three days with us he attended San Francisco CASA’s (amazing) luncheon, stepped right up, demonstrating his impressive networking skills, introduced me to people I have never met who can be very helpful to all of us, and made many new friends. He has quickly wrapped his arms around what needs to be done and hit the ground running. He seems unfazed by the reality that in his first two weeks on the job I will be in the office for only two of the ten days and he has a plan for what will occur in my absence! I appreciate how patient and understanding all of you have been as we have gone through so much change in so little time. David brings wisdom, maturity, his skills as an attorney and his deep personal understanding of the needs of the children and youth we serve. I look forward to the coming months and years with confidence about our ability to work with you towards our common vision. From David Perry: It is my pleasure to extend a warm greeting as well as my personal gratitude to all of you who make up the California CASA “family.” I consider it an honor and a privilege to have the opportunity to serve the very deserving, yet underserved, youth of California alongside each of you. As a former foster youth and an attorney, I hope to bring both a personal understanding of the issues facing foster youth along with a skill set which will compliment those of others in the CASA organization in the worthwhile work of serving our youth. I say “our youth” because as we know, as a society, these are our youth and we are collectively responsible for them. As a board member of First Place For Youth, Inc. and now a member of the staff of the California CASA Association, I am in the enviable position “working” at a “job” which coincides with my passionate feelings about the youth we serve and the issues they face. I look forward to working with all of you and assisting in any way possible in the important work of CASA! David F. Perry Associate Director California CASA Association 2. NATIONAL CASA DELEGATION TO WASHINGTON D.C. On March 4th and 5th Robin Allen traveled with the National CASA Delegation to Washington D.C. The purpose of this visit on Capitol Hill was to 1) acquaint key Congressional representatives with CASA/GAL in their communities and to enlist their support; and 2) secure their support for full funding of CASA in Fiscal year 2009. Below are the representatives Robin had the opportunity to share information about CASA with. Representatives: Congressman Mike Honda (D -15^th District) Congressman Fortney "Pete" Stark (D -13^th District) Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (D - 34^th District) Congressman George Miller (D -7^th District) Congressman Adam Schiff (D -29^th District) Congressman Dennis Cardoza (D -18^th District) Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey (D -6^th District) Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi (D- 8^th District) Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren (D-16^th District) Congresswoman Linda Sanchez (D-39^th District) Senator Dianne Feinstein (D) Senator Barbara Boxer (D) 3. YUROK TRIBAL CASA FUNDRAISER The Yurok Tribe CASA Program would like to share tribal items they currently have for sell from their 2008 Spring Catalog. All proceeds directly benefit the Tribal CASA program (with the exception of the basket weave designs on CD). Please go to: http://www.yuroktribalcourt.com/ and scroll down to find the Spring CASA Catalog 2008 link. If you have questions regarding the quantity of supplies, shipping costs or order information please contact Jeanne Riecke (jriecke@yuroktribe.nsn.us). Yurok Tribal Earrings (currently not listed in catalog) Silver findings with a selection of olivella shells, dentalium, small clam shells and abalone. Mixed with glass beads in spring green, pink, light blue, red, royal blue or lavender. $15.00 plus $1.50 shipping. 4. BLUE RIBBON COMMISSION hearing ON FOSTER CARE DVD We hope you all noticed the video camera during the Blue Ribbon Commission Hearing on Foster Care which was held during CalCASA's statewide convening. We are glad to announce we have the final cut of a short video that was made from the footage of the testimonies at the hearing. A DVD was mailed to each Executive Director or Program Manager. If you did not receive your copy in the mail please contact Herbie Vanderhorst. Once you've had a chance to watch the video or even better, the opportunity to use the video we would greatly appreciate feedback, your input is very valuable to us. We ask that you take a brief survey to better inform us on the effectiveness of the video throughout the CASA network. The last day to complete the survey is Thursday, May 1, 2008. Please follow the link below to start the 9 question survey that should take just a few minutes to complete. Thank you all for your participation and feedback. --> START SURVEY <--