Our mission is to help strengthen families and support children, teens, and adults impacted by trauma and adversity.

Remember when we had two tickets to Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour up for auction at Stand Up and Sing for Kids? Our winning bidder generously donated the tickets to one of our volunteers through a lottery process!

Our lucky winner was Jessica, a CASA volunteer who has been with us for 3 years! This is what she had to say: “I just wanted to say a huge thank you to the Canopy Center and whoever was involved with donating the Taylor Swift tickets. The show on Saturday was amazing and I count ourselves lucky to have had the opportunity for such a treat!”

Can we also talk about how they got to hear “Dear John” live?!

A couple of our CASA staff members traveled down to St. Louis, Missouri to attend the National CASA/GAL Association 2023 Annual Conference!

Cheri and Lindy had the opportunity to network with CASA Staff and volunteers from around the country, while also enhancing their professional development by attending workshop sessions on topics such as advocacy skills, child welfare, leadership, governance, diversity, equity, fundraising, and more.

Read more about the conference below.

We've been posting #throwbacks on our social media pages recently!  Never miss out, follow us online!

As reported by Cheri Dvorak, CASA of Dane & Columbia Counties Program Director

Cheri and Lindy attended the National CASA/GAL Conference in St. Louis last month. They had the opportunity to learn about the National Association's new strategic framework, "Strong Families, Strong Futures", network with other CASA programs, and hear from some incredible speakers. 

The conference opened with an impactful message from Plenary Speaker David Ambroz. David grew up homeless on the streets of New York with his mother and three siblings. He read an excerpt from his memoir: A Place Called Home, which left the entire room in tears. He spoke about the hope he found in the system, despite being separated from his siblings. He endured things no child should ever have to, and yet he kept going forward. He inspired Cheri and Lindy to approach the children and families they serve with compassion, and not a "know what's best" attitude. 

You can hear from David and his sister in the video linked below.  In "Education Was Our Way Out," they speak to educational advocacy and the possibilities ahead sparked by hope of better, and a belief in themselves:

Cheri and Lindy also attended sessions on topics such as: Strengthening Families Using a Racial Equity Lens, Achieving Greater Compassion and Justice in the Child Welfare System, Could You Survive a Month in Foster Care? as well as A View From the Bench, which consisted of a panel of judges from all over the country who shared their perspectives on the impact CASA volunteers and programs make in their courtrooms, as well as shared innovative ideas and strategies for improving advocacy and making increased efforts to keep children in their homes of origin whenever safely possible. 

Cheri and Lindy returned home feeling inspired to increase their program's efforts in supporting the children they serve. They plan to bring back the teen program, Fostering Futures, which provides CASA volunteers with specialized training when working with teenagers. They will also focus on educational advocacy, making sure the CASA kiddos don't slip through the cracks at school.  Lastly, they plan to increase their efforts to engage and support parents, making sure they are approached with compassion. 

Be a part of the important work Canopy Center does in the community.

Questions? Check out our website, canopycenter.org or email us at info@canopycenter.org