The CASA Voice - December 2023

Because of your support, we are able to move forward to help create safer communities for Texas children and youth. We are motivated by the vision of a Texas where it is safe for all children to grow up and fulfill their brightest potential. We need your help to get there.

Thank you for all that you do and for your commitment to a positive, fulfilled future for all Texas children. You make our success possible, and I am deeply grateful for your commitment to our work and mission. On behalf of everyone at Texas CASA, I wish you and yours a wonderful holiday season.

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Rainbow Room Donations

Texas CASA was full of holiday cheer this week after donating items to the DFPS Rainbow Rooms in Austin/Travis County! Rainbow Rooms are 24/7 resource centers usually located within local Child Protective Services (CPS) offices. In the Rainbow Room, CPS caseworkers can get supplies for children who are victims of abuse or neglect like clothing, school supplies, diapers, and more. We are honored to help create a happier, more hopeful holiday season for the children and youth in care.

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Public Policy Tour of Texas Recap

The Public Policy Team has officially wrapped up their Post Session Tour of Texas! From August to November, the team traveled across the state to conduct eight in-person training sessions at local CASA programs in Conroe, Tyler, Dallas, Abilene, San Marcos, Lubbock, El Paso and Corpus Christi. In addition to these in-person trainings, the team hosted an 88th Legislative Session Wrap-Up Webinar available to those in the CASA network.

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Local CASA Programs Wishlists

For many of us, the holiday season is full of excitement, celebration, family, warmth and community. As we enjoy this time with loved ones, we hope you will remember the children in foster care and the remarkable local CASA programs supporting them. Texas CASA put together a wishlist page with links to many of the local program wishlists. We encourage you to find your local program and help create a happier, more hopeful holiday season! Can't find your local program on the list? Visit texascasa.org/localprograms to contact them directly.

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A Year In Review With Texas CASA Staff

We asked our extraordinary staff: What are you most proud of accomplishing with Texas CASA in 2023? A few of their answers are the success of the Social Impact Team, the development and implementation of the Strengthening Core Advocacy training, the new local program Executive Directors, the advancement of the Collaborative Family Engagement (CFE) initiative and so much more! We are deeply grateful for the opportunity to do this work. Thank you all for supporting the Texas CASA mission this year!

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The FIX featuring Texas Alliance of Child and Family Services

On this episode of The Fix, Katy Bourgeois and Megan Ransom from the Texas Alliance of Child and Family Services (TACFS) discuss the barriers to adoption that children and youth often face in the child welfare system. They also explain resources for adoption like Heart Galleries — a portrait exhibit and outreach opportunity that features children waiting for adoption that's proven to increase the chances of permanent placement for a child in foster care.