CASA of Santa Cruz County celebrated its 12th annual For the Love of Children luncheon on February 10 at Severino’s in Aptos, hosted by the Friends of CASA, a volunteer auxiliary that supports CASA Yareli Garcia of Watsonville, an 18-year-old former foster youth, was the highlighted speaker at the luncheon.
She spoke of how difficult it was to be separated from her family, and how important it was for her to have a CASA Advocate to help her navigate through difficult times when she was in foster care. Yareli’s Advocate, Donna Prochazka of Santa Cruz, introduced Yareli and spoke of the “roller coaster ride” of being an Advocate, and the connection she and Yareli now share.
The 140 guests in attendance included six Santa Cruz County Superior Court judges: Rebecca Connelly, John Gallagher, Denine Guy, Paul Marigonda, Heather Morse and Stephen Siegel.
Judge Connelly, the current dependency court judge, in speaking to the audience, said, “The role that a CASA [Advocate] plays throughout a dependency court case is profound. They offer stability and safety to the child, and they give the court insight on that child that we might not otherwise have.”
Funds raised at the luncheon support the CASA Children’s Fund, created to provide children with special items to enrich or just add normalcy to a foster child’s life – from class pictures, to a prom dress, to tutoring.
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For more information on how to support children and youth in foster care, please call (831) 761-2956, ext. 106, or visit CASA’s web site at www.casaofsantacruz.org.