April 24, 2014 Assists Foundation Charitable Contributions Committee Allen Fieldhouse Men’s Basketball 1651 Naismith Drive Lawrence, KS 66045 Staff Executive Director Susan Allen Carolyn Johnson Brooksie McCarty Becky Spriggs Maria Butler
Board of Directors Jean F. Shepherd
Honorary Board Member Reid Bork Katrina Chatman Machaela Edmonds
Dear Committee, I am writing because of the Assists Foundation’s longͲstanding commitment onggͲstanding comm om to children in Douglas County and your mission to provide young people to provide young youn pe access to better lives.
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Diana Frederick
In FY2012, there were 2,096 reports of child abuse and neglect in Douglas f child ld abuse and neg n County. Toddlers who have had to be removed from their families because be removed emoved from the of abuse, abandonment or worse. Children who have lost their parents, e. Children hildren who have h their friends and often been separated from their brothers and sisters, separated from their th because the system is horribly overstretched. Young teens who have had to rribly ribly overstretched. overstretche Y olss six or seven seve time change homes and schools six or seven times in just a few years, because they are shuffled between different temporary living situations. tw different ferent temp t
Kendall Heiman Eric Hiebert Rick Hird Claudia Jones Tami Keasling Wendi Keleman-Braden
Every child has a right to feel safe, loved and cared for. Every child has an s a right ght to fee fe e l unalienable right to learn and grow in a safe, permanent home and become e right ht to learn and g the person they are destined to be. In our society the stewardship of a so they son hey are re destined child’s rights rest with family. But too many families are in crisis, and too s rights rest with th fam many children are lost in the process. any children are lost i
Aidan Loveland Koster Helen Seymour Kitty Ware Jill LaPoint
W
Amy Shumaker
Ex Officio Member CASA Ambassadors Kappa Alpha Theta Philanthropy Chair
Ex Officio Member 1009 New Hampshire, Suites A & B Lawrence, KS 66044 Phone: 785.832.5172 Fax: 785.856.1279
casa@douglas-county.com www.dccasa.org
Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) for Douglas County is an Court ou Appointed Appoin S organization of highly trained adult volunteers that advocate for children in organiz organization of the the foster care and child welfare system. We fight for their rights and needs foster st c until they are in a safe, loving, permanent home. A CASA volunteer is very unti until they often the only adult a child has been able to rely upon in their entire lives. often It’s It’s that simple—a qualified, caring adult can change everything. It’s also incredibly effective. When a child has access to a CASA volunteer, they are half as likely to languish in the foster care and child welfare system, and that much more likely to find a safe loving home. That—we hope—is where you can help. We know you share our passion for these children. We also know that you receive countless solicitations for help from many worthy organizations. We hope you’ll see this one a bit differently. The project will help CASA purchase 5 tablets and accessories, in an effort to help us provide more effective and efficient advocacy
Assists Foundation Grant Application
Douglas County CASA
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W rit in g
Becky Spriggs
Sa m pl e
services to children in the court system that are abused and neglected. The use of a tablet in the court system will allow Advocate Coordinators and volunteers instant access to data needed during court hearings. Using a tablet in court to take notes will reduce the time CASA Advocate Coordinators and volunteers take to transcribe handwritten notes to electronic notes creating more time to focus on the child. The tablets will be used for digital notes at case plan meetings for the child and the educational apps will be used when Advocate Coordinators and CASAs spend time with their assigned child and for tutoring. Many of our kids have special needs in math and reading due to changing schools so frequently. Finally, the tablets can be used for community presentations, training more volunteers to be advocates and eͲlearning training for the current volunteers. With the support from the Assists Foundation, CASA Advocate Coordinators and volunteers can decrease time spent on paperwork and increase a time being out in the community advocating for the children who need it most. ost. 5 Tablets @ $499 = $2,495 5 cases with keyboard @ $100 = $500 Total: $2,995 CASA is a truly unique collaboration between the public and private sector—fueled by nd private privat sector—fu sector—f incredibly devoted volunteers. It is not only successful, it is a true model for how to do this kind , it is a true tr model mo for of work. A model worth investing in. With respect and gratitude! Becky Spriggs Douglas County CASA, Development Director Development velopment Director D (785) 832Ͳ5172 rspriggs@douglasͲcounty.com county.com nty.com
Attachments: ents: nts: Ͳ Douglas County CASA Board of Directors glas County Cou C Removed er of d Ͳ IRS Letter of determination Removed Ͳ General operating budgets and financial overview (2013, 2014, 2015 Pending BOD Approval in Fall of 2014)- Removed Ͳ Douglas County CASA key staff information
Assists Foundation Grant Application
Douglas County CASA
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ASSISTS FOUNDATION GRANT APPLICATION
Date of Application April 20, 2014 Name of Organization Douglas County CASA Address 1009 New Hampshire, Ste. A&B, Lawrence, KS 66044 Phone 832-5172
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Website Address www.dccasa.org
Federal I.D. Number 48-11004657 Date Established 1991
Primary Contact Rebecca Spriggs Title Development Director Phone 785-218-7190
Email Address rspriggs@douglas-county.com as-co y.com com
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GENERAL INFORMATION ON ABOUT YOU YOUR ORGANIZATION Mission Statementt
Douglas County CASA Mission Statement: "We provide comprehensive advocacy for abused and Mission Statement: tatemen "W neglected children in need of care and under the protection of the court system. Our trained in need ed off care and an und volunteers investigate, facilitate, monitor and mentor. Through compassion and commitment, stigate, facilitate, monit they are dedicated to be the child's voice through their journey to a safe, loving permanent icated ed to t be the t child's ch home." ands for the t basic h CASA stands for the basic human right of every child to thrive in the safety and love of a family. WhenͲ for whatever reasonͲ a family is unable to live up to those obligations, a child is left to the whatever atev rea child welfare system. While this system is full of compassionate and caring people, it is ill system d equipped to handle both the complexity and the volume of the cases. This is where CASA steps in to help.
Description of Services Our agency's goal is to provide every child who cannot live safely at home due to abuse or neglect with a CASA volunteer who will help ensure their safe passage out of foster care, to the benefit of their children, and generations to come. All children served by Douglas County CASA are abused and neglected children who are in protective custody governed by the Douglas County district courts. These children face major Assists Foundation Grant Application
Douglas County CASA
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barriers during their journeys to safe, permanent homes, often changing schools and placements multiple times. At the present, Douglas County CASA has too few CASA volunteers who are trained and empowered to advocate for our children in the child welfare system. Douglas County CASA recruits, trains and supervises volunteers who are empowered by the courts to provide best interest advocacy for young people in the child welfare system. National research shows that children with a court appointed special advocate (CASA) are half as likely to languish in foster care and much more likely to find safe permanent homes than children who do not have CASA volunteers. CASA volunteers are specially trained to know how to understand the needs of each child and then advocate for those needs – including their medical and educational needs Ͳ in the court system. For many abused children, their CASA volunteer is the one reliable adult presence in their lives. Volunteers stay with each case until it is closed, and the child is placed in a safe, permanent home.
Geographic area served
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Douglas County CASA serves abused and neglected children that are under protective care in the r protective care in foster care re throughout through Douglas County courts. However, children can be assigned temporary foster care throughout the state depending on availability of resource homes and special needs of the child. Due to the s of thee child. Due to the increased drug trafficking in the Douglas County area, the number of infant and toddler cases have er of infant ant and toddler to doubled over the past few years.
Time of year services offered YearͲround
Number of clients served and theirr ages
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Last year Douglas County CASA served 112 children from the ages of 0Ͳ18: 0Ͳ5 years: 46 children; dren from fro the th ages 6Ͳ11 years: 39 children; 12Ͳ15 years: 14 children; 16Ͳ18 years: 13 children. Our volunteers have child 16 6Ͳ18 years: ye 1 already served 90 children so far in 2014. There are currently over 50 children on the waiting list 014. There The current for a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA). ocate (CASA).
Main sources of funding ding for your orga organ organization
1. Grants (County, City, y, United Way, CVAF, CVAF & other state and local foundations) 2. Fundraising (Special solicitation) cial events, mail ma solic 3. Private Donations ns s
INCLUDE E THE FOLLO FOLLOWIN FOLLOWING IN AN APPENDIX ATTACHED TO APPLICATION ICATION 1. 2. 3. 4.
Board of directors direc and their terms and affiliations IRS RS letter lette of det determination General budgets for last year, this year and projected next year eneral eral operating opera o Primary for your organization, their qualifications, length of mary staffing staf employment yme and approximate annual salaries.
SPECIFIC INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROJECT
Statement of Need (include goal of the project, why it is needed, how it will help or it’s importance to the community, projected obstacles and expected results):
The project will help CASA purchase 5 computer tablets and accessories, in an effort to help us provide more effective and efficient advocacy services to children in the court system that are abused and neglected. As our local courts have transitioned to electronic documents during the past two years, our CASA agency has a crucial need to update our technology accordingly. The use of a tablet in the court system will allow Advocate Coordinators and volunteers instant access to Assists Foundation Grant Application
Douglas County CASA
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data needed during court hearings. Using a tablet in court to take notes will be more efficient and reduce the amount of paper used on a daily basis. It will also reduce the time CASA Advocate Coordinators and volunteers take to transcribe handwritten notes to electronic notes, thus creating more time to focus on the child. The tablets will be used for digital notes at case plan meetings for the child and the educational apps will be used when Advocate Coordinators and CASAs spend time with their assigned child and for tutoring. Many of our kids have special needs in math and reading due to changing schools so frequently. Finally, the tablets can be used for community presentations, training more volunteers to be advocates and eͲlearning training for the current volunteers. With the support from the Assists Foundation, CASA staff members and volunteers can decrease time spent on paperwork and increase time being out in the community advocating for the children who need it most.
Scope of Project (include geographic area, time period, number and nd ages):
PROJECT FINANCES
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Douglas County experienced a “record pace” of Child in Need of Care cases in 2013 and into 2014. in 2013 3 and nd into int There are currently more than 50 children under the age of 18 on the waiting list to receive a aiting list to o receive a CASA. Our goal is to increase our volunteer base by 50% over the next 2 years. Technology t 2 years. ears. Technology Technolo d efficiently, cien thus reduc assistance will help our CASA network operate more effectively and efficiently, thus reducing the taxing work load required of our Advocate Coordinators and CASA volunteers. ASA volunteers. olunteers. Total Project Budget- $2,995 proval al Time Period (Date to Date)- Pending grant approval Projected Use of Assists Grant- Purchase 5 tablets boards ablets and key b board Other Sources of Funding- 0
PROJECT STAFFING
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Responsible Party or Director of Projectect- Rebecca cca Spr Spriggs, CASA Development Director Phone Number- 785-218-7190 Email- rspriggs@douglas-county.com nty.com om Qualifications for this Projectct- see key staff sum s summaries attached. SalaryOther Professional, Clerical Management Staff, their title and salary lerical erical or Volunteer Volunte M 1. Carolyn JohnsonͲ Advocate Coordinator, Advocate Coordinator, oordina (.62 FTE)
2. Susan AllenͲ Advocate Coordinator, vocate te Coordinator, Coordinato 3. Brooksie McCartyͲ Advocate Coordinator, Carty art Ͳ Ͳ Advocate Advocate Coordin C 4. Diana FredericksͲ Executive Director, dericksͲ dericks Ͳ Executive xecutive Direc Butler tlerͲ Ͳ Administrative Administra A 5. Maria ButlerͲ Administrative Assistant,
(.8 FTE) (1.0 FTE) (1.0 FTE) (1.0 FTE)
How Many any Vo Voluntee Volunteers-Describe Any Required Training Over the next year 2 years, we expect to increase the number of CASA volunteers in Douglas ext year ea 2 ye 0 to 7 County from 50 to 75, providing a 50% increase. Achieving this goal is part of our longͲterm strategic vision to serve every Child in Need of Care in our area within the child welfare system. Data regarding our volunteers and the number of children served are tracked in the CASA Manager database utilized by our agency and other CASA programs throughout Kansas and the nation. A CASA volunteer has to undergo a strict screening process, background check, 30 hours of training and a minimum 1 year commitment of 3 hours a week. Due to the nature of the work, volunteers get emotionally involved in each of their cases and often suffer from burn out. Since CASA services depend on volunteers, expanding recruitment efforts and training is essential to increasing the number of children served. Douglas County CASA needs to continually look for creative ways to help reduce the amount of paper work and increase efficiencies for these volunteers. This grant will help increase the number of children served and ultimately work towards the goal of providing a CASA volunteer for every child in need. Assists Foundation Grant Application
Douglas County CASA
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And finally, what makes your project different and uniquely suited for Assists support:
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The Assists Foundation and Douglas County CASA are both committed to providing children access to better lives. In FY2012, there were 2,096 reports of child abuse and neglect in Douglas County. Toddlers who have had to be removed from their families because of abuse, abandonment or worse. Children who have lost their parents, their friends and often been separated from their brothers and sisters, because the system is horribly overstretched. Young teens who have had to change homes and schools six or seven times in just a few years, because they are shuffled s between different temporary living situations. Every child has a right to feel safe, loved and cared e, loved ent home ome and for. Every child has an unalienable right to learn and grow in a safe, permanent home and become the person they are destined to be. In our society the stewardship of a child’s rights rest with ld’s ’s rights rest res with w family. But too many families are in crisis, and too many children are lost in the process. ost in the process. process. $2,9 to invest Douglas County CASA asks the Assists Foundation to consider a grant of $2,995 to invest in the grant of $2,995 lives of these children and uphold their fundamental right to be safe, loved and cared forͲ a right be safe, e, loved and cared that a CASA volunteer is there to defend.
Assists Foundation Grant Application
Douglas County CASA
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