Pebble Beach at Stanford helping children in need

Emma Morgan of Pebble Beach helped organize a charity run that took place Oct. 15 and raises $40,000 to benefit foster youth in California. The race is a 32-year tradition of the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority at Stanford University.

The race is called ThetaBreakers and benefits Child Advocates of Silicon Valley. The nonprofit agency recruits, trains and supports Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASAs) to work one-on-one with foster children in Santa Clara County. This year, Child Advocates hopes to serve 920 foster children with a CASA volunteer. For the past 32 years, the Stanford Thetas have supported Child Advocates to impact the lives of foster children.

“The Stanford students organizing this run change lives,” said in a statement Karen Scussel, executive director of Child Advocates of Silicon Valley. “The Thetas are an organization of women committed to spreading the widest influence for good and they’ve been wonderful supporters of Child Advocates through their fundraisers and countless volunteer hours. As state funding for CASA programs declines, we are extremely thankful for the Theta’s unwavering support to help us provide a CASA for our community’s most vulnerable children."

Credit: Tyler Sabree Cloyd

Advocates for foster children needed

Voices for Children (formerly known as CASA) has an urgent need for more advocates.

Voices for Children-- CASA which has been serving foster children in Monterey County for 15 years. Its mission is to train and support community volunteers who advocate for abused or neglected children placed in foster care, upholding the children's rights while pursuing a safe and permanent home. CASAs (Court Appointed Special Advocates) speak up for the children’s best interests and build relationships that help restore a child’s trust. CASAs also mentor youth over age 18 as they transition out of foster care into independent living.

Voices for Children - CASA is looking for adults, 21 years and older, in particular men and bi-lingual volunteers to advocate for the best interests of children in the foster care system. Meet the staff and current advocates to learn how you can make a difference in a child's life.

Attend an information session at the Voices for Children office at 945 S. Main Street at Romie in Salinas on Thursday, Feb. 21, 2013.

RSVP here or call 831-455-6800. For more information click here.

Palma student, former CASA foster child donates hundreds of stuffed animals

 Former CASA foster child Ryan Moses knows what is like to grow up under difficult circumstances.
At six he found out his parents were addicted to drugs and alcohol and a week after his seventh birthday his father was in jail and his mother had abandoned him. In and out of foster homes and back with his father before another stint in jail Ryan almost gave up hope.

By the end of sixth grade, he went from one foster home to another, until his CASA representative said, enough.

“After staying at the group home for a year the place was going to be shut down and I was going to be moved to yet another home,”  Ryan told Celeste White of White Page Communications. “Luckily my CASA sponsor caught wind of that and said this has to stop, he doesn't deserve this anymore; he deserves a better life. So, she told my social worker that she would take me in and be my guardian. I knew that God was the one that did this. I would pray and pray that I could just go back home, but God had better plans for me. He wanted me to live a better life than what I have been living.”

Ryan, 15, now in his sophomore year at Palma School in Salinas, and still living with the Walkers, has decided to give back to the organization that helped him when he was in need. With the help of ‘The Know That You Matter Club’ of Palma, he collected more than 500 stuffed animals to be donated to children sponsored by CASA, children just like him.

“We are very proud of Ryan and the rest of the members of  here at Palma.” said Brother Patrick Dunne, president of Palma School “We have an obligation to be there for these children. That’s why we do what we do.”

There's a huge need for children in the foster care system to get court appointed advocates, people who can advocate on their behalf. Voices for Children, formerly known as CASA, provides free training and support for caring adults who want to help these children.

Their next information session will be held from 6 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 2 at Starbucks Del Rey Oaks, 441 Canyon Del Rey Boulevard Del Rey Oaks. For more information about Voices for Children, click here.

* This story and photos come to us via Celeste White of White Page Communications