Blog
Thank you to Florida attorney Elizabeth Masters for sharing her adoption story in this guest blog.
As a very busy practicing attorney, member of the Florida Bar for 27 years, and a foster parent for less than two years, I recently had the unique experience of seeing dependency court as a foster mom.
Last week, I had the pleasure and honor of joining the staff, board, volunteers and supporters of CASA of Northwest Arkansas at their two Light of Hope breakfasts. Donnie Smith, the CEO of Tyson Foods, spoke at one event and Mike Duke, CEO of Walmart, spoke at the other. By all accounts, the events succeeded beyond expectations.
Business leaders like these are doing more than raising funds for our cause. They are inspiring others to say “I am for the child.” And when they do, to feel the satisfaction of lifting up the life of an abused or neglected child.
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I appreciate its inclusiveness, its relatively non-commercial character, and its focus on being with the people who matter most to you.
National CASA CEO Michael Piraino urges President Obama to make the needs of abused and neglected children a priority during his next four years in office.
Dear President Obama,
More than two billion dollars has been spent on the race that earned your seat in one of the most powerful offices in the world. As you look ahead to future expenditures, I urge you to remember that there is one government system that simply must continue to be supported.
Guest blogger Shumeka Moore describes how her CASA volunteer, Kristal Wortham, supported her transition from foster care to college, and why she decided to become a volunteer with CASA for Children of (Washington) DC.
National CASA CEO Michael Piraino responds to recent reports of the increased use of psychotropic medications to help poor children do better in school.
For many children, back-to-school season is a time of new opportunities: schedules to figure out, new teachers to get to know, friends to be made. Last week a neighbor of mine proudly showed off a photograph of our neighborhood children waiting with lots of smiles for the bus to pick them up.
As advocates for children in foster care, there is no greater reward than to hear the youth themselves describe how their determination and courage helped them overcome the adversities that plagued them as children, and threatened their ability to succeed as young adults.
Data doesn’t have to lie to ignore the truth. In the case of the annual adoption and foster care report issued by the federal government, ignoring the full truth is unfair to foster youth.
Headlines recently proclaimed that the number of American children in foster care has dropped for the sixth straight year, falling to about 400,000 compared to more than 520,000 a decade ago.1 Unfortunately, this much-repeated headline significantly understates the size of today’s foster care population. The number in the news was a single day’s count. Looking at the entire year, 646,000 children spent time in foster care.2