http://billingsgazette.com/news/local/7810601e-d78c-5b01-88ba-9fac46f5ad55.html

Congratulations, Gloria!

Diane Redenius is a retired School District 2 teacher and has been a CASA volunteer for five years. “I am very proud to be a CASA volunteer,” she said, “and I am proud to be associated with such a worthwhile organization.”

Sara Nyquist is an ER physician at Billings Clinic. “I am so pleased to be a member of the CASA board of directors,” said Dr. Nyquist.  ”As an emergency physician and mother of three children, I have a passion for helping improve the lives of children.  I am proud to be part of this organization, which provides support and care for the abused and neglected children in our community, giving them guidance and a voice to improve their future.”

Yellowstone CASA is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to train and provide volunteers to represent the interests of abused and neglected children in the Yellowstone County court system. These Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteers serve as a child’s voice in court, promote the child’s best interests and advocate for a safe, permanent home.

“This generous gift will help us continue to recruit and train new volunteer advocates, sustaining the growth of our program as new children come into the court system,” said Angela Campbell, Executive Director of Yellowstone CASA. “These children have a right to have their voices heard, and that’s what we do. Our vision is to serve every child in need by the end of 2013, and donations like this are a huge help as we grow to meet that vision.”

Yellowstone CASA’s 70 volunteers currently represent the needs of 144 children in the Yellowstone County court system due to abuse or neglect. “Our volunteers serve as the investigative body of the judge, meeting regularly with the child, interviewing people involved in the child’s life, and reporting monthly as to the child’s best interests,” said Campbell. “Our volunteers dedicated over 5,000 hours last year to representing abused and neglected children. Some cases take months, while others take years. CASA volunteers are there for the duration to help these children find safe, permanent homes as quickly as possible.”

Campbell added, “Despite our efforts last year, more than 100 abused children in the Yellowstone County court system did not have a CASA volunteer available to speak for them in court. We are very grateful to Debt Reduction Services for choosing to help meet the need for new child advocacy volunteers in Yellowstone County.”

Debt Reduction Services is a nonprofit, full-service debt management and credit counseling organization that helps consumers overcome financial challenges and learn to live debt free. Branch Manager Sharon Welborn said learning about Yellowstone CASA and its mission led to her decision to support the organization.

“I know from personal experience the feeling of hopelessness these children have,” said Welborn, “and if we can have a part in bringing hope, then we can bring healing. Abused children need to know they are not alone, and people do care and will help.”

Campbell added that Yellowstone CASA receives less than twenty percent of its annual budget from state and county funds, and therefore relies heavily on donations from individuals and businesses such as Debt Reduction Services. “These donations make an immediate difference in the children’s lives,” she said, “and they also make a long-term difference in our community. At CASA, we believe children have a right not just to survive, but to thrive, and children who get into safe, permanent homes have a better chance of thriving and fulfilling their potential when they become adults.”

CASA volunteers must complete an initial 30 hour new volunteer training, be able to volunteer 5-15 hours per month for a minimum of 18-24 months and submit to a background check. New volunteer trainings are conducted in October and March each year. For more information about Yellowstone CASA, contact Angela Campbell, Executive Director, at 259-1233 or angela@yellowstonecasa.org, or visit www.yellowstonecasa.org.

Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company of Billings has joined Yellowstone CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) to lend their voice to abused and neglected children in the Yellowstone County court system. Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company recently released over 200,000 Pepsi cups to local vendors highlighting the work of Yellowstone CASA’s child advocacy efforts. The Pepsi cups inform the consumer that almost 250 children are in the Yellowstone County court system due to abuse or neglect and invite the community to volunteer with Yellowstone CASA as a courtroom advocate.

Yellowstone CASA’s 70 volunteers currently represent the needs of 144 children in the Yellowstone County court system. “Our volunteers serve as the investigative body of the judge, meeting regularly with the child, interviewing everyone involved in the child’s life, and reporting monthly as to the child’s best interests,” stated Yellowstone CASA Executive Director Angela Campbell. “Our volunteers dedicated over 5,000 hours last year to representing abused and neglected children, helping them find safe, permanent homes as quickly as possible. Despite our best efforts, over 100 children didn’t have a CASA volunteer available to speak for them in court. We are very grateful to Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company for choosing to highlight the need for new child advocacy volunteers in Yellowstone County.”

Pepsi-Cola Bottling Co. has a long history of volunteerism and involvement in the Billings community. When asked about their recent partnership with Yellowstone CASA, Mike Dimich of Pepsi-Cola Bottling stated, “Over the years, we have chosen to be involved with organizations which help build our children’s futures. These children need an advocate so their world is not jeopardized because of events they had no control over. At the end of the day, hopefully we can all look in the mirror and say, ‘I tried to make a difference in someone’s life, for the better;’ this is what Yellowstone CASA is all about.”

“Every day our CASA volunteers are working with children, advocating for their medical, educational and psychological needs,” stated Campbell. “By focusing on one family at a time, our CASA volunteers are able to gain a complete understanding of the child’s and the family’s needs to help ensure that none of our children falls through the cracks.”

Campbell noted, “Thanks to the Dimich family and Pepsi-Cola Bottling, we are able to reach out to over 200,000 people and ask them to consider becoming a CASA volunteer. There is no better gift than to give an abused child a voice and a permanent, safe home.”

CASA volunteers must complete an initial 30 hour new volunteer training, be able to volunteer 5-15 hours per month for a minimum of 18-24 months and submit to a background check. New volunteer trainings are conducted in October and March each year. For more information about CASA contact Angela Campbell, Executive Director, at 259-1233, or visit www.yellowstonecasa.org.

Melissa LaRoque

Melissa LaRoque has been promoted to the position of Program Coordinator with Yellowstone CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates for children.) In her new position, LaRoque will conduct new volunteer training and will direct and coordinate the ongoing training and supervision of 62 current volunteers working on behalf of abused and neglected children in the Yellowstone County court system. LaRoque has 17 years childcare experience. She holds an Associate of Science degree from the College of Eastern Utah and an Associate of Early Childhood Development degree from Southern Utah University and has been an employee of Yellowstone CASA since September of 2010.

Lisa Hammel

Lisa Hammel has been hired to the position of Volunteer Coordinator with Yellowstone CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates for children.) Hammel will coordinate the recruitment and training of new volunteers to serve as courtroom advocates for the almost 400 children who are in the Yellowstone County court system every year due to abuse and neglect. In addition, Hammel will supervise the 62 current volunteers advocating for children in Yellowstone County courts. Hammel has worked as an Admissions Counselor and Aftercare Counselor with Rimrock Foundation and recently passed the National Examination for Addiction Counselors. Hammel holds a Bachelor of Science in Human Services from MSU-Billings.

For the last 6 years, George has been one of two CASA volunteers advocating in the Family Drug Court Program, where he works with 2-3 families at a time.

George still recalls the case that to this day keeps him coming back. “No one could have imagined the family could make it, but the parents were able to pull their lives back together,” said George, “and in doing so, they also impacted their extended family. Three years later, the children are still living with their parents.”

During his tenure as a CASA volunteer, George has advocated for 22 children, helping them to attain safe and permanent homes.

The 2010 CAP Grant has helped to fund YCASA billboards on Airport Road, Main Street in the Heights and Grand Avenue west of 24th Street. Yellowstone CASA currently has 50 volunteers serving almost 140 children, approximately 60% of the children who qualify for a CASA in Yellowstone County. With the help of the MT Supreme Court, YCASA hopes to recruit additional volunteers to help us reach our goal of a CASA for every child in Yellowstone County by 2013.

For more information about becoming a CASA volunteer, contact Melissa at melissa@yellowstonecasa.org or call 259-1233. Yellowstone CASA’s upcoming new volunteer training class is scheduled to begin Tuesday May 3rd. Applications for the May class are due by April 15th.

NANCE FAMILY FOUNDATION SUPPORTS YELLOWSTONE CASA

The Nance Family Foundation of Billings has made a $5,000 donation to Yellowstone CASA in support of the non-profit organization’s 10th year anniversary.

For ten years, Yellowstone CASA has worked tirelessly to help heal the hurt suffered by abused and neglected children. Yellowstone CASA provides volunteer court appointed advocates to work on behalf of abused and neglected children in Yellowstone County. CASA volunteers serve as the investigative body of the court, promoting the best interests of the child and advocating for a safe, permanent home.

CASA’s 10th anniversary goal is to raise $65,000 to help meet the needs of almost 250 children in our court system. Currently only 54% of those children have a CASA volunteer to speak for them in court.

Amy Cebull formed the Nance Family Foundation in 2008 with her husband Brian Cebull and her parents Bob and Penni Nance. The foundation has made numerous donations to organizations that focus on families and youth in the Billings community.

Executive Director Angela Campbell said, “Our campaign is going strong, we have raised $40,000 to date and hope to reach our goal in the next six months. Donations from the community sustain our efforts to recruit and train new volunteers to help the overload of children awaiting an advocate in the court system. It is because of people like the Nance Family that we are able to recruit and train eight new volunteers joining the Yellowstone CASA family this February.”

Scramble format. Foursomes of all skill levels are welcome. Prizes for 1st and 2nd low gross and net, as well as many other flag prizes.

Golfing with your friends while supporting Yellowstone CASA…what could be better? Join us for a fun afternoon of golf on June 15th. Carts are provided with dinner and awards following.

This is a major fundraiser for Yellowstone CASA. Each year this tournament helps us get closer to our vision of assigning a CASA volunteer to every eligible child in Yellowstone County.

The CASA Cup Golf Tournament: no matter what your score is, it’s the BEST round of golf you’ll play all year!

There are many ways to participate:

Sign Up Your Company Foursome

Birdie Sponsor, $1000 (4/13/12 Deadline)

• Fund a CASA volunteer for one case for a year
• Team entry in the tournament
• Logo on banner
• Recognition in event program, even follow-up and fall report

Team Sponsor, $500

• Team entry in the tournament
• Recognition in event program and fall report

Be a Hole Sponsor, $150

• Sign with your business name and logo posted on a tee box
• Recognition in event program and fall report

Be a Flag Prize Donor

• Flag prizes should be valued at $50 or more; you may also donate cash and we will purchase a prize, announcing your name as it is awarded

Volunteer

• If you would like to donate your time as a hole-watcher or check-in helper, please visit our volunteer page or call the Yellowstone CASA office at 259-1233.

Fill out the PDF entry form or the online form below and sign up today.

Entry Form (PDF)

Celebrate Community: CASA volunteers advocate for kids

Click to see the full story.  Billings Gazette Article November 8, 2010

Less than a year after retiring from his feed and seed business in Grand Island, Neb., and moving home to Billings, Tony Seitz plunged into a program designed to advocate for some of the community’s most vulnerable children.

“We always loved kids,” Seitz said. “We’ve raised a lot of kids.”

That includes four biological children and four foster children the couple adopted, said Kathy Seitz, his wife of 47 years. She sat proudly in District Judge Russell Fagg’s courtroom last week as her husband and eight others were sworn in as Court Appointed Special Advocates — CASA volunteers. She’ll probably be taking advocate training herself in the spring.

With the nine new advocates, the total for the Billings office is 43, said Tabitha Williams, program coordinator for Yellowstone CASA. That’s a big boost for the 10-year-old nonprofit seeking to expand its capacity to provide a voice for children in the foster care system.

“We’re only serving about 30 percent of the eligible children now,” she said.

But CASA has big plans to recruit and train new advocates, said Angela Campbell, executive director of the program, which graduated its first seven volunteer advocates in 2002.

“We have 350 children in foster care at any given time and 243 of them would qualify for CASA,” she said. “We now have 34 volunteers serving 85 children.”

The newly sworn-in volunteers will be assigned new cases within the next few weeks to increase the total.

Two other volunteer training sessions are already on the calendar — one for February and another for May.

Our goal is to have 30 new CASA volunteers by June 30,” Campbell said. “Then we’ll be serving 66 percent of the kids. By 2013, we want to be able to serve 100 percent.”

CASA is actively recruiting volunteers on its website, www.yellowstonecasa.org. Williams said the organization is especially interested in recruiting Native American volunteers. She said 40 percent of the children needing advocates are Native American.

The mission of the advocates is to be a voice for the child and eyes and ears for the court. The ultimate objective is to get the child in a safe, permanent home as quickly as possible.

Advocating for a child can be a time-consuming and emotional process for volunteers.

Williams said each volunteer must complete 30 hours of training before accepting a case. They are asked to make an 18-month commitment, which is about how long it takes most cases to resolve. Some cases, Williams said, can take much longer.

The advocate first reads the child’s social service file, then meets with the child’s court-appointed attorney assigned to represent the child, as well as with the foster family, the child, the parents, social workers, relatives, teachers, doctors and anyone else who has contact with the child.

“They get a complete history to understand the child’s needs and see that they are met,” Williams said.

Volunteers meet at least monthly with the child, but many meet weekly depending on the child’s needs. Advocates also produce a monthly written report on each case that is presented directly to the judge. They are also sometimes called on to speak on the child’s behalf in court.

Volunteers come from all walks of life.

“Just someone passionate about helping children,” Williams said. “It’s not for everybody, but the benefits outweigh what’s difficult.”

Tony Seitz would agree with that. While still in Nebraska, he volunteered for the CASA program there.

“I was really happy with the results,” he said. “It really made a big difference in some of those kids. It’s really reward to know that you have made difference.”

That’s something others in his graduating class have to look forward to. They include Carol Baer, a grandmother and former foster parent; Tom Boone and his wife, Judi Brinton, who have six children and are active community volunteers; Dick Bush, a grandfather who recently moved from Denver to Billings; Nancy Cook, a retired Senior High counselor; Regina Demis, who holds a master’s degree in nonprofit management; Brenda Hittmeier, a financial consultant and community volunteer; and Pat Bellinghausen, Gazette opinion editor and a longtime community volunteer.

“You’re in that 20 percent that do 80 percent of the good,” Judge Fagg told the new advocates.

One issue that judges see frequently is that children in foster care want and need more time with their parent, Fagg said. He urged the advocates to get a feel early for whether a child wants parental contact, and then try to make sure it is arranged.

Lorna Thackeray can be reached at 657-1314 or lthackeray@billingsgazette.com

Copyright 2010 The Billings Gazette. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed