A Letter from One of Two 2011 Grant Recipients
Thank you for choosing Piedmont CASA as a recipient of the 2011 Women United Grant – we are so thrilled to have the collective support and endorsement of your members. Not only will the funds help us train and supervise new CASA volunteers, but also the publicity from
this grant will help us get the message to our community that child abuse and neglect are very real problems here in Charlottesville and Albemarle County.
Last year, there were 1,258 child abuse and neglect referrals to our local departments of social services. There is hope. At Piedmont CASA, our volunteers lift up children’s voices. They listen. They speak out for them in court. They fight for a child’s right to be safe, treated with dignity, and to
learn and grow in the security of a loving family. Last year Piedmont CASA provided advocates to 207 children whose lives were in the hands of the court system.
We will use the $20,000 grant to train and supervise new CASA volunteers who will stand ready to serve the new children who enter the child welfare system every day. When we lift up children’s voices, we lift up their lives. Having a CASA volunteer means that life will be better for the children we serve. Thank you on behalf of the board, staff and especially the volunteers who do the hard work at Piedmont CASA. And mostly, thank you for caring about CASA’s children.
Sincerely,
Ruth L. Stone. President & CEO
Piedmont Court Appointed Special Advocates