Welcome to the Buzz, CASA/LA’s hub for volunteer news, upcoming events, resources, and more! View a summary of the page’s contents below and feel free to click to jump down to the section that is most relevant to you. The Buzz is updated monthly and each month’s highlights can be delivered straight to your inbox.
If you have any suggestions about the Buzz or anything else CASA/LA-related, please submit to our suggestion box!
NEWS
Thanks for Joining Our Quarterly Happy Hour
We had a blast meeting up at All Season Brewing in February! Thanks so much to all of the CASAs that joined us. Keep an eye out for information coming soon about our next quarterly happy hour.
Welcome our new CASA Volunteers
We’re off to a fantastic start to the year! This February 19th, 15 new volunteers completed training and were sworn in as CASAs. We are thrilled to welcome these dedicated advocates and deeply grateful that they’ve chosen to commit their time, compassion, and voices to empowering and supporting our young people.
Public Counsel Office Hours
Next Office Hour- Tuesday, April 14th, 12-1pm.
Need legal answers for your CASA youth?
Connect with Public Counsel’s Transition Age Youth (TAY) Team. They provide free, civil legal support to youth ages 16–26 who have experienced foster care. Their areas of expertise include: Housing & Family law, Public benefits advocacy, Education and more. Learn more about the team here.
Register to join a virtual drop-in session with attorneys from Public Counsel to:
- Ask questions specific to your youth’s situation
- Understand their legal rights
- Explore available services & referrals
Please reach out to Emily Scrimshaw with any questions.
Volunteer Voices: Sebastin Kolman
CASA Sebastin Kolman is no stranger to adventure. He moved to Los Angeles in 2018 to pursue a career in the film industry, serves as an Academic Coach, is a semi-professional poker player, and has spent the past couple of years traveling throughout Europe every chance he gets. So, when he felt called to find a way to give back to those in need in the city he calls home, he found CASA Los Angeles, and knew this could be his next great adventure.
Sebastin has served as CASA since March 2024 and is just about to conclude his first advocacy case. He has spent the past two years supporting and advocating for a now 10-year-old boy with autism and ADHD. The young boy has been in the child welfare system since he was 5 years old and was placed in a Short-Term Residential Therapeutic Program (STRTP) as he awaited potential adoption. After experiencing immense behavioral issues at school, the Department of Children and Family Services recommended his pending adoption process be halted. This resulted in miscommunication between the school, the STRTP, the potential adoptive parents, and the child’s attorney. Luckily, Sebastin was there as his CASA, and he became the main point of contact for all of these individuals. He kept the communication between all parties clear and consistent. He also used his academic coaching experience to serve as the child’s educational rights holder and his creative writing skills to create detailed court reports. The judge repeatedly thanked Sebastin for his advocacy and his incredibly useful court reports. His efforts as a CASA culminated in the adoption paperwork submitted for final approval. The child is now one step away from being officially adopted.
Sebastin describes this experience as incredibly rewarding, meaningful, and humbling. He shares, “The [child welfare] system is broken, and it’s overloaded with cases. There are a lot of kids who need help. Your work [as a CASA] could go a very long way for a child and be really useful. There are so many things that children need that sometimes the system fails to address. You can be that person to fully give yourself to that child’s case.”
Sebastin is looking forward to his next adventure as a CASA, and we have no doubt that he will continue to go on to do great things for our youth. Thank you, Sebastin!
TRAINING
Upcoming Trainings
Other Training Resources
Logging Continuing Education Hours
CASA volunteers are required to complete 12 hours of continuing education each year to support their advocacy. We have launched a new system for tracking continuing education (CE) entirely in Litmos.
Click here to view the recording of the In-Service Training – CASA CE 101: Requirements, Tracking, and Logging Hours. This recording will provide an overview of everything you need to know about the new system AND it will count towards your continuing education hours.
If you need more background information, help logging into Litmos, or have other questions, please review the following guide documents:
Foster Together Network
The UCLA Prevention Center of Excellence is excited to share a collection of resources for child welfare professionals, generously supported by Pritzker Foster Care Initiative. Available on the Wellbeing for LA Learning Center, this curated collection includes handouts (also available in Spanish), videos, and online trainings that utilize evidence-based behavior management strategies and resilience-promoting parenting skills to reduce placements for children in LA County’s welfare system and promote family and individual development.
Learn more and view all available resources here.
Create an account and view resource library here.
Sign Up for a 1-1 Consultation with an Education Attorney
Date: Wednesday, March 25th
Time slots: 9am, 10am or 11am
CASA/LA is hosting an IEP consultation clinic with the help of the Alliance for Children’s Rights. This clinic is an opportunity to consult one-on-one with an education attorney to get guidance about your young person’s education.
Steps to schedule a consultation:
- Check your availability: Confirm that you’re available on the clinic date and during possible appointment times. Tentatively mark these on your calendar
- Gather education documents: collect as many documents as you can from the last two years of your young person’s educational history
- Complete the consultation form
- Look out for a confirmation email
Note: Appointments are limited and scheduled on first come, first serve basis. Submit your form early to secure your spot.
Where: Zoom
REGISTER by completing consultation form
Contact Emily Scrimshaw with any questions
Resources to Support Advocacy
New Volunteer Resource Hub
Click here to view our new shared resource folders. Our directory of resources will now live in these new folders. Only new and time sensitive resources will be listed in the Buzz.
Click here to submit your own resources. Submissions will regularly get added to the resource hub.
Ongoing Resources
Baby2Baby: Resources for Pregnant or Parenting Youth and Young Children
Talk with your advocate supervisor about requesting diapers/wipes and other baby supplies through CASA/LA from Baby2Baby. All orders must be placed by CASA/LA staff.
If your CASA youth is expecting and at least 6 months pregnant, please speak with your Advocate Supervisor about requesting a Welcome Baby basket.
For Goodness Cakes: Treats for Youth Birthdays and Graduations
For Goodness Cakes is a collective of professional bakers who volunteer to make cakes for youth facing adversity. They’d love to make a cake for your CASA youth! See their FAQ part 1 here and FAQ part 2 here. Reach out to your advocate supervisor to ask them to request a cake for your youth.
Pick up a Handmade Quilt for your Youth
Contact your supervisor if you haven’t yet gotten a quilt from the office for your youth. Once you pick one up, please complete the thank you note that comes with the quilt. You can take a picture of the note or scan it and email it to Lauri Halderman
Workshops for Youth in Antelope Valley Hub
Workshops for Resource Parents at AV Hub
Classes for Youth in AV Hub
Connection
CASA Connections
CASA Connections are intended to be positive social experiences that encourage CASAs to connect and build networks of friendship and support.
These spaces are all about sharing ideas, offering encouragement, and working together to find solutions using a strength-based approach. While it’s a great space to talk through challenges, it’s essential to keep the focus constructive and always protect the confidentiality of the children and families we support.
CASA Connection: Education Focused
Each month, our discussion will center around a specific topic related to educational needs. Next meeting, we will focus on Requesting Educational Records. Your assigned youth’s educational records are an important part of understanding a student’s background. You may want to have a copy should your youth move to a new school district. Reviewing records lets you be sure that the records contain necessary information. A CASA youth’s educational history is an important part of your court report. Similarly, should you decide to make an appointment at the IEP Consultation Clinic on behalf of your youth, a copy of educational records is required in advance of your meeting.
We recognize the insight, dedication, and perseverance that you bring when supporting youth through these challenges. Whether you’ve seen progress, faced setbacks, or are still navigating what works best, we invite you to join the discussion and connect with fellow advocates.
Next Meeting: Tuesday, April 14th at 5.30pm-7pm (drop in anytime)
General Connection Group
Book Groups
Coastline Book Group
When: Tuesday, April 21st at 1:30pm
Where: CASA’s home in Santa Monica
We’re Reading: Wards of the State by Claudia Crowe
RSVP: contact Lisa Baskin (ba*****@*******al.net)
*Space is limited to those with completed COVID-19 vaccines.
San Fernando Valley Book Group
When: TBD
Where: CASA’s Home in SFV
We’re Reading: “Letters to My Younger Self: An Anthology of Writing by Incarcerated Men”
RSVP: Contact Renne Bilson (rj******@*ol.com)
* Space is limited to those with completed Covid-19 vaccinations
Support casa/la
Become a Monthly Donor
Monthly donations are crucial to buffering our organization from the ups and downs of life, ensuring that there is no lull in service to the youth we serve.
Help us sustain our transformational programs through a monthly gift.
Coffee with a Cause: CASA/LA x Black Aswad Coffee Co.
We’re thrilled to announce a meaningful new partnership with Black Aswad Coffee Co., a mission-driven brand committed to mental wellness, justice, and social impact. Through their premium blend, HAVEN, 20% of all proceeds will directly support CASA/LA’s advocacy on behalf of children in the foster care system.
Rooted in shared values, this collaboration is more than just a cup of coffee — it’s a daily act of awareness, solidarity, and change. Every bag you brew fuels the movement for equity, healing, and hope for youth in foster care.
Learn more and order your bag of HAVEN today: CASA/LA x Black Aswad Coffee Co.
More Ways to Give
- Use your Ralphs Rewards Card to earn donations for CASA/LA.
- Donate your car, boat, RV, or motorcycle with Helping Hands Charity Services.
- Host a community drive.
- Consider CASA/LA in your planned giving.
- Invite others to become CASA volunteers.
Tiny Wins Are Going Fast - Don’t Miss Out!
Key guides & links
Emotional Support for CASAs
We care about your well-being. All volunteers may access our EAP program for anonymous counseling.
Click here to learn about the CASA/ LA Benefits EAP for volunteers
Access services here with the code “worklife”
ETO: CASA/LA's Database
Need help with ETO? No worries, we got you covered. If the advocate handbook doesn’t have your answer, you can email the ETO helpdesk. Additionally, we have a recorded ETO training available on Litmos.