PIEDMONT CASA ANNUAL IMPACT REPORT
Fiscal Year 2024: July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2024
Letter from our Leaders
Piedmont CASA President Kate Duvall and Board of Directors Chair Joel Reich
Dear Friend,
Piedmont CASA has always been idealistic. Since our founding in 1995 with two CASAs serving two children, we have strived to better the lives of children in foster care in our community. While we saw the impact of our advocacy in the individual lives of the children, we wondered about the cumulative impact of our work.
For nearly 30 years, Piedmont CASA has gathered data about the children and families we serve, the work we do on behalf of those families, and the outcomes in their cases. However, we needed help in analyzing the data to determine what outcomes have looked like for CASA children historically, what are the patterns in our data, and how do the outcomes in the cases we work on compare to the outcomes for children without CASAs.
Last year, we got the help we needed. PCASA worked with two graduate students in the UVA School of Data Science to explore our impact on children who enter the child welfare system. We provided these students with a complete, anonymized dataset exported from PCASA’s internal casework database. The dataset covers CASA cases from January 1996 to February 2024 and includes 2,598 children across 2,882 cases. It revealed that:
We Are Family
When we ask kids to draw what makes them happy, we get a lot of pictures of their families - and no two are alike. We love it when kids in our community donate their artwork to help us tell the story of kids in foster care. It's a poignant reminder that this is what our kids want more than anything, a place where they can love and be loved, a place they belong. That's why CASA Advocates work so hard to help their child reunite with their family and, when that is not possible, find a safe, permanent home.
Kids4Kids Gallery
When we set up our tent at fairs and festivals, we always ask kids to "draw what makes you happy". We tell them that we use their drawings to help tell the story of CASA kids. This year, one of the kids drew us at our table - and that made us happy!
CASA was always by his side
A young man with additional needs has had a difficult time finding that stable, forever home. Each new placement brings the hope of a new chance, and the fear it may not work again. Throughout all of the ups and downs of each transition, his CASA Advocate and his Coach were always there for him. CASAs don't just advocate for their child in the court and the community, they advocate for their child to believe in themselves. Because the brighter future isn't always tomorrow, sometimes it's months or years away.
The Kids We Served in FY24
We provided 191 children and youth in foster care with advocates and/or mentors
Their ages ranged between newborn and 21
Nearly 88% came from homes surviving at or below the federal poverty line
All the children we served were at the request of the Courts
They were Caucasian, African-American, Multiracial, Asian, and Native American.
20% were Hispanic
Home with dad instead of 5 more months in foster care
Rose was born two months early addicted to drugs. It was six months before she was discharged from the hospital into foster care. As soon paternity was established, CASA reached out to the father, who made it clear he was committed to raising his daughter. He had a stable home, a stable job, and community connections. He visited his daughter at every opportunity and consulted with her medical providers about health issues. A trial home placement began. At the Foster Care Review hearing, the Department of Social Services (DSS) submitted service plans for a five month extension of the trail placement with a continued goal of return home. The CASA Advocate recommended the immediate approval of the transfer of custody. Based on the CASA report, DSS switched to the custody transfer recommendation. Rose spent less time in foster care because of the direct advocacy of her CASA Advocate.
Why Are We Calling Them CASA Advocates?
A CASA who accepts a case has spent 42 hours just to qualify, and is comitting to standing by their child as long as that child is in foster care. That means 18 months on average, but some cases go on for years, and most CASAs stay the course. We think the title "CASA Advocate" is a more accurate recognition of their extraordinary dedication and accomplishments!
Piedmont CASA Advocate Highlights
The drawings are of moms, always popular when we ask kids to draw what makes them happy. From our Kids4Kids Gallery.
29 Advocates Were Inducted in FY24
Advocates Who Served in FY 2024
Jane is growing her own independence
When Jane turned 18, the team of professionals on her case planned for her to remain with her foster family. But Jane confided to her Bridges Coach that she wanted more freedom to build her own life. They explored several options and found the best fit: an Independent Living apartment in the community and a network of case managers and additional supports. Jane found a job and settled into her new life. Thanks to her Bridges Coach, Jane is building her own scaffolding into an adult life that is safe and independent.
Bridges to Success - Reaching for the Stars
Older youth in the Bridges program range in age from 13 to 20. Because they are placed all around the Commonwealth, Bridges Coaches spend a lot of time on the road, over 30,000 miles annually. Part of that travel time is invested in taking youth to tour college campuses and investigating scholarship opportunities.
- 37 youth were in our Bridges Program in FY24
- 23 participated in job training and/or interviews
- 26 youth obtained or held jobs - including 100% of youth who had already completed high school
- For the 4 youth whose cases closed when they turned 20/21
- All 4 had their high school diploma or GED
- All 4 were employed and financially stable
We believe in them so they can believe in themselves
This fall, one of the young ladies in our Bridges to Success program started college on scholarships awarded to her for all of her efforts as a high school student. As she begins this path to a role in the medical field, her cheering supporters included her CASAs, her professional team, natural supports, and her university cohort. Knowing people have faith in you is a crucial ingredient for persistence - and her persistence certainly paid off!
Thanks to our friends, sponsors and supporters - these two events raised over $100,000 for Piedmont CASA!
The Playhouse Raffle
The Molly and Reed Hurt family won this fabulouse playhouse for a $10 raffle ticket! We know it will bring fun and enjoyment to their backyard for years to come.
Thanks to all who contributed to Piedmont CASA through the raffle. And a special thanks to Julie and Matt Thomas from Hinge Built for designing the playhouse, Rob and James Robertson from Robertson Renovations for their construction, Sun Painting for the beautiful paint, and Cardinal Home Center for generously donating the materials to make it all happen!
Jimmy "Magic Man" Miller's Bracket Breakfast
The Magic Man's 9th Annual Bracket Breakfast has set a new bar! About 270 guests kicked off the March Madness season by raising over $100,000 - our best year ever. We all gathered bright and early on Monday morning, March 18, at the Boar's Head Resort Pavilion.
The panelists were UVA President Jim Ryan, acclaimed novelist John Grisham, Co-Host of the Greenlight Podcast Macon Gunter, UVA women's basketball alumna Deborah Stroman, entrepreneur and current professor at UNC’s Gillings School of Global Public Health. NBC29 Anchor Steve Rappaport and UVA Director of Broadcasting John Freeman were the emcees..
Our guest speaker was Michael Richards, a CASA Advocate who gave a first-hand testimonial about what a difference it makes for children in foster care to have the support and advocacy of CASA Advocates. Award-winning auctioneer Josh Puffenbarger closed the event by leading an energetic bidding war for four fabulous auction items - all donated by generous friends and sponsors.
Photo courtesy of Jennifer Byrne Photography.
Stay tuned for the 10th annual Bracket Breakfast on March 17!
From a childhood of institutional settings to an apartment of his own
Throughout his many years in foster care, Stan had been in and out of residential facilities, hospitals, group homes, and foster families. The one constant was the help and support of his Bridges Coach. Today Stan has a job with supportive coworkers, his own apartment, fur babies to look after, his own set of wheels, and the knowledge that he is achieving the healthy independence he dreamed about. He has all that because his Bridges Coach was always there. Even when Stan was going through the worst of times, his Coach helped him believe and achieve a much brighter future.
The Numbers
Community Connections
Can You Guess What I Am?
We'd love to know what you see! Click on any drawing for a larger view, and tell us what it is. Make it something real or imaginary - or tell us a story about it. Winner gets a snazzy Piedmont CASA t-shirt.
