09/04/2026
This past week, Voices for Children team members had the honor of attending the 2026 California CASA Association State Conference in Costa Mesa.
Centered on the theme “Coming Together, Shaping Our Collective Impact,” the conference brought colleagues from CASA programs across the state together to connect, exchange best practices, and find inspiration in our shared commitment to serving children living in foster care.
At the conference, Voices for Children presented three sessions highlighting innovative approaches to advocacy:
🌟 Managing Director Riverside County, Sharon Morris along with Amanda Szydlowski, Distance Advocacy Specialist shared how analysis of our youth waiting list led to the development of a new distance advocacy model. This model gives youth the traditional CASA experience while providing enhanced support.
🌟 Juvenile Justice Program Manager Kelly Grant Jones and CASA Bruce M. explored how CASAs can help bridge the child welfare and juvenile justice systems, using the HOPE framework to strengthen protective factors and build resilience among crossover youth.
🌟 Program Manager Victoria Valencia and Jazmine Miles, Volunteer Recruitment & Training Associate led an informative session that dived into the topic of bias and privilege and how CASAs can work to identify their privilege and potential biases as they step into new communities and spaces in their advocacy work.
We are grateful for the opportunity to learn from our statewide CASA community and return home with new ideas and renewed energy to strengthen our impact together.
