10/16/2026
Happy Friday my friends! It's been a week since our program was shut down and a lot has happened. We so much closer to signing an MOU with the Oregon CASA Network as our temporary home! Stephanie, our Oregon CASA Network director has been putting in tons of hours getting things set up for us. The OCN board is doing their due diligence to make sure we are covering all basis in this move.
We've received so much media attention that my head is spinning and I'm sure it's the same for Stephanie. I'm really hoping that attention doesn't dwindle as the story fades but we are still needing community support to make this work. Thank you to all our media friends for reaching out, the conversations, and for telling our story!
Dollars and Sense:
Some wonderful kind folks are donating dollars to help support our efforts! Of course we'll continue to need community buy-in to support the very important life-changing work our team does for abused and neglected kids.
The OCN is taking donations for us and holding them in a special account. You can donate here: https://www.oregoncasanetwork.org/donate
Just make a note in the memo area that your donation is for Coos and Curry CASA.
This is a great need as we may have to purchase all new supplies, including computers, office furniture, etc. We, at the very least, need funds to support the staff who toil through the thousands of pages of court and ODHS discovery, support our wonderful volunteers, and make sure those volunteers have everything they need to be the best advocates for our kids. I'm telling you, our CASAs are life-changers!
Three of our staff will be coming on board at first then we'll work on bringing on the other 2 wonderful staff members as we secure more funding. This is essential for our team to work as each of us carries a unique skillset in our team. It' difficult to be the best we can without them.
A Plea for your Community:
If you live outside the Coos-Curry area and are reading this, it's time, if you haven't already, to step up for your local CASA program. Funding has been a real challenge with CASA programs throughout the nation. Any CASA program could be balancing on the brink of closure or severe staff lay-offs. It is important that they are supported by their communities as well. I've seen that you value the service that CASA brings to your communities, so please, make sure those services can continue by donating what you can.
Moving forward:
We need to positively move forward. No matter the struggles from the past, they are water that has moved under the bridge. That water is long for the ocean and not of our concern. The goal is to rebuild and come back even stronger.
I ask you, our CASA friends, to put your efforts and advocacy for your CASA program toward those positive rebuilding goals!
Thankfulness:
We also want to say a special thanks to ORCCA Board Chair, Drew Farmer, who worked very hard to try to save our program under ORCCA and is still advocating for us even though we are no longer under the ORCCA umbrella. That, to me, says a lot.
I'll always hold in my heart how difficult this decision was for the ORCCA board to make. It really showed me the value they hold for this program and the heartfelt emotions they held in that meeting having to make a hard decision.
The decision they made was the one that had to be made. The decision they made was the one we needed so we have a better chance of surviving in order to be available for the children we serve.
Celebrate:
Let's take this time to support the CASA program and celebrate the gains we see every day. When we are solid again, we will celebrate with our community!
- Your forever humble, temporarily unemployed but still working 40+ hours a week, CASA Director!
The Oregon CASA Network aims to help local programs serve every children in Oregon. A majority of our revenue goes directly to local programs for direct service. Your donation contributes to our ability to continue supporting, promoting, training, advocating, and unifying statewide program efforts.....
