Tennessee CASA

Frances Witt-McMahan, Executive Director of CASA Corridor, get book signed by conference speaker, Judge Glenda Hatchett.

Members of TN CASA with award-winner, J. Dean Lewis (retired judge).

Knowing Who You Are Training

Williamson County CASA hosted a Knowing Who You Are training in September. The training was made possile through a National CASA diversity grant. "Knowing Who You Are is a three-part curriculum for social workers and other adults and professionals in the child welfare system. Created with the direct collaboration of alumni of foster care, youth still in care, birth parents, and resource families, the curriculum helps child welfare professionals explore race and ethnicity, preparing them to support the healthy development of their constituent’s racial and ethnic identity," according to the website. Visit http://www.casey.org/Resources/Initiatives/KnowingWhoYouAre/ for more details.

The Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act (Fostering Connections) became Public Law 110-351 on October 7, 2008. The new law represents the most significant federal reforms to foster care in more than a decade. The actual impact of the legislation on children, however, will depend largely upon how it is implemented. Implementation of the Act involves the process of promulgating and issuing federal regulations, decisions by state policymakers as to how or if to respond to new federal funding opportunities, and efforts made by the larger child welfare community to provide input into program and policy development. The Fostering Connections Resource Center was established October 7, 2009 to aid states and Tribes in implementation of this bill.

What is the Fostering Connections Resource Center? A gathering place of information, training and tools related to furthering the implementation of the Fostering Connections law. Specifically, the Resource Center aims to connect implementers with the latest information and the best experts and advocates working on these issues

The Tennessean Video of the Tennessee Children's Welcome to the Candidates event at Bicentennial Mall on October 6, 2008. This was an children's festival to raise awareness of children's issues before the Presidential Debate at Belmont University; it was coordinated by the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth. CASA's Forgotten Children exhibit made an outstanding backdrop for this event.

National CASA and Kappa Alpha Theta celebrate 20 years of speaking up for children

CASA, Inc. of Davidson County Video (8 min.) featuring Danielle and Brittany Ritter, daughters of Sumner County CASA Executive Director Carole Ritter.

CASA of Rutherford County Video (2 min.) This is a Middle Tennessee State University Channel 10 News story by Molly Maguigan, daughter of CASA of Rutherford County Executive Director Susan Maguigan.

Pennsylvania CASA Association Video (7 min.)

National CASA Association Video (6 min.)

Unpacking Hope (7 min.) This National CASA Association video discusses CASA's profound need of volunteers from the Latino community.

Everyday Heroes (7 min.) This National CASA Association Video features a young Ashley Rhodes-Courter, who would later grow up to write a memoir called Three Little Words and present the keynote speech at Tennessee CASA Association's 2008 Annual Meeting, among many other accomplishments. (She's the cute young lady with the long, red hair!) You can read more about Ashley at her website.

You can also view clips from the Dr. Phil show about CASA at the National CASA Association website. Dr. Phil and his wife, Robin, are strong supporters of CASA's mission to advocate for abused and neglected children.

Rosie O'Donnell, also a strong advocate for children in foster care, gave an interview on Good Morning America which you can view here. In it, she talks about her new film on foster care, America. She also talks about children in the child welfare system, the needs of these children and youth, and how a CASA can help change a child's life.