Transitions, Child Abuse Prevention Month, and Big Day of Giving

By Colleen Campbell

Special to The Enterprise

You may have noticed that this column’s byline is different this month. My name is Colleen Campbell and I am the acting executive director of Yolo County CASA.

Two weeks ago, the Board of Directors announced bittersweet news as they bid a grateful farewell to our long-serving executive director, Tracy Fauver, as she moves on to new professional endeavors.

Tracy was dedicated to Yolo County CASA first as a CASA volunteer for several years and then as an executive director for 12 years, an unprecedented tenure. She leaves behind dedicated CASA volunteers, a strong staff, a strong financial status, and strong partner agency relationships. We are grateful for her many years of leadership and service to foster youth in our community. I am personally grateful to have gotten to work alongside Tracy and am honored to continue serving foster youths in our community without compromise as your acting executive director.

When I joined Yolo County CASA a year ago as the program manager, I came to the position excited to serve. As a former school administrator in special education, I had the pleasure of meeting many incredible foster children. These resilient and hopeful students touched my heart in a very special way … I knew that serving foster children in a larger capacity was where I needed to go next.

April is child abuse prevention month, which makes the importance of Yolo County CASA even more apparent. CASA volunteers are often an extra set of eyes and ears for the children they serve. In addition to providing advocacy for their foster youth in court and life, they also empower youth to advocate for themselves.

In doing this, CASA volunteers play an integral role not only in stopping the cycle of abuse, but also in preventing it from hap- pening again. As we recruit for our April training, I am delighted to see seats filling with kind-hearted individuals who will make