Today my heart hurts. Today I am frustrated. I’m fielding calls from other agencies wondering if we might have any connections for the possible placement of a traumatized teenager. Meanwhile we are advocating for multiple teenagers in the same situation. Teens in facilities because there......
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“Rarely, if ever, does an empathic response begin with, “At least…” I had a miscarriage…At least you know you can get pregnant. I think my marriage is falling apart….At least you have a marriage. John’s getting kicked out of school….At least Sara is an A-student.......
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Each year our CASA Team chooses a theme for the year. I joined the Pulaski County Team at the beginning of 2020. Our theme was “Above and Beyond”. We had no idea what 2020 had in store for us. It was quite a year, but......
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Many of you may not have been around in 1986, but if you were, it would have been hard to miss the song “Greatest Love of All” by Whitney Houston. I’m not blessed with a beautiful singing voice. In fact, my Dad lovingly told me......
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Fall crafts are a fun way to celebrate and learn about the shift in seasons with your kids. The changing leaves, crispness in the air, anticipation of Halloween, and the bounty of the fall harvest season all provide wonderful inspiration for clever things to make......
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What makes someone exemplary? It can be difficult to describe. Exemplary is defined as serving as a desirable model; representing the best of its kind. We are certainly blessed at Pulaski County CASA to have many, many advocates who prioritize the best interests of children......
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Hello dear reader, Whether you’re a mom, dad, grandma, grandpa, foster parent, aunt, or uncle – the list goes on and on, if you’re raising a child on a daily or weekly basis, you’re someone special in their life who they look up to and......
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Pulaski County CASA recently played catch up and recognized 7 dedicated individuals who go above and beyond to ensure the welfare of children. These individuals give of their hearts and time to help children in the foster care system thrive. They are true story changes.......
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Put yourself in the shoes of a parent whose children are in foster care. Can you imagine it? Open up your mind and …. You are sitting in your house, and someone knocks at the door. It’s been a rough day and you don’t want......
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Foster care, foster parents, and most especially foster children have been a part of my daily life for over 7 years now. May is Foster Care Awareness Month and all month I have been thinking about how to portray the meaning of foster care to......
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Children aren’t meant to live in foster care. Unfortunately, sometimes to be safe, children must be removed from their homes and placed into foster care while their parents have a chance to remedy the reasons that the home was unsafe. But could situations like this......
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Sometimes it all gets to be a little much. Life can get overwhelming, work can be crazy, family obligations can be draining, and even the things we enjoy like volunteering can add pressure. There is a reason why we hear phrases like “recharge your batteries”......
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I am often asked what it takes to become a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA). The answer I give is a simple one – You need to have a heart for children in foster care, be able to pass background checks, and have 10-15 hours......
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Children are being sex trafficked in our community. Let that sink in. Sex trafficking is defined as the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of an individual who under force, fraud, or coercion is induced to perform a commercial sex act. When sex with......
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Looking back on 2020 it is easy to see only the negatives. We acknowledge that there were many negative things that occurred in 2020 and we have learned greatly from some of those things. However, as we reflect on what the past year has brought......
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