As you know, I am the new Executive Director of Children First. One of the hardest things to do after replacing someone who has been a well known and passionate advocate, such as Christain Orobello, is to bring the work of the organization back into focus after an extend search process. Our professional staff and devoted board members are terrific resources that are ready to go do real good in our community, so that process is made easier in our case.

In an effort to refocus the efforts of Children First, both the board and staff undertook separate retreats to answer the following question:

"What initiatives and activities must this organization undertake and/or complete in the next three years to give Children First the stability, resources and leadership to meet its mission of ensuring the children of our community are quickly returned to safe, secure and permanent living environments?" 

As a stakeholder and community member, we'd love to hear your thoughts on this question. I feel it is a valuable exercise to critically examine the motivation of and reasons for the work we do advocating for children and families in our community.  Hopefully, we can count on you to help us do that. 

We appreciate your thoughts and comments.  Please comment below to let us know what you think.
 Thank you for helping to Put Children First.

Tony Waller,

Executive Director, Children First, Inc.

“It has always been my hope, since I was a small child, to give back to my community and to help those in need. CASA has allowed me to do this. I continue to volunteer as a CASA because I believe I am able to make a difference in these children's lives.”
  --Stephanie Adrean, UGA Student, Athens-Oconee CASA Volunteer

Stephanie Adrean, a dedicated volunteer of our Athens-Oconee Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) program, has just graduated from the University of Georgia in May and is going to start law school in the fall. She has been volunteering for CASA program for a year and a half since she turned 21 and has worked five cases.

Stephanie was first drawn to CASA out of her interests in the legal field. In the fall of 2010, she was informed about the CASA program after speaking with the wife of her professor who worked as a public defender in the juvenile court. She became interested in the program as it would fulfill her desire to explore the legal field while also working with children.

Later Stephanie began the training process right before her 21st birthday in the winter of 2010. “I did not know what I was getting myself into,” as she recalled, feeling the responsibilities she was going to take, “the training was information heavy and I could not believe the position I was about to hold.” However, the training was just the beginning. At the start of March 2010, she received her first case.

In the past year and a half, Stephanie has worked five cases. As a CASA volunteer, she has been dedicated to developing a relationship with the child in each case. She not only investigated and gathered information, but also listened to those children’s concerns. Before each hearing took place, she would write an objective report to inform the judge of all developments in the case. Included in those reports are her recommendations which are tailored to fit the best interests of the children. “Although all final decisions are left to the judge, my input can and does make a difference,” said Stephanie.

For Stephanie, her interest in the legal field was what drew her to CASA in the beginning. However, the reason for her to volunteer now is very different. Growing up in a family with caring and dedicated parents, she has been surrounded with love, affection, and security throughout her childhood. As she listens to the concerns of neglected and abused children, she has developed a strong will to help them and to bring care and love into their lives.

“Although not every case would turn out to be a successful story, when you work it out successfully, the reward is infinite,” said Stephanie. She will start law school this fall at UGA and will continue to volunteer as a CASA to make a difference in more children’s lives.

Thank you to everyone who helped with our recent CASA Recruitment effort!  We held our Volunteer Orientation for prospective CASA Trainees and we are excited to have 14 potential Trainees for our Fall 2010 Session.  Thank you especially to WUGA, the Flagpole and HandsOnNortheast Georgia for their efforts to recruit advocates for abused and neglected children.  Training begins September 7th and these new advocates in training will spend then next month learning to be a powerful voice in the life of a child.  Thank you also to Hester Nguyen and Beth Johnston, 2 current CASAs that came to speak to the new recruits.  Beth and Hester were able to answer many questions and speak about their own experiences, expertise, successes, and challenges as child advocates.
Please join us in welcoming these new Court Appointed Special Advocates in training.  We applaud their interest and dedication to serving some of the most vulnerable youth and families in our community!