. 

​CASA JEFFERSON 
2022 NEWSLETTER

Dear CASA Jefferson Volunteer Advocates,

On behalf of all our team, we want to say
Thank you
for your commitment to our CASA Jefferson children.

As we enter into the last month of the year, we want to make sure that
you have all the support you need to fulfill your role as an advocate.

​Please reach out to your AC if you are in need of assistance
with visitations. We are highly encouraging you to conduct
visitations with your CASA child(ren) prior to the holidays.          

Don’t forget to enter your notes early in December,
so that you can enjoy much needed time with your family.

Wishing you and your loved ones
 a wonderful holiday season!

♥ Wendy Magee
 CASA Jefferson Executive Director

   ​
  Drug Use Among Youth: 2022 Facts & Statistics
    
   Report Highlights:   
   Early drug abuse corelates with substance abuse problems later in life, the  
   most significant increases in destructive behavior appear to take place
p among older teens and young adults.

• 2.08 million or 8.33% of 12- to 17-year-olds nationwide report using drugs in the last month.  
• Among them, 83.88% report using marijuana in the last month.                                                                                 
• 591,000 teenagers aged 12- to 17-years-old used an illicit drug other than marijuana in the last month.
• 8.7% of 8th graders have used illicit drugs in the last month.
• 21.3% of 8th graders have tried illicit drugs at least once.
• By the time they’re in 12th grade, 46.6% of teens have tried illicit drugs.
• 11.89 million 18- to 25-year-olds used drugs in the last month.
• 4,777 Americans aged 15 to 24 years old died of an overdose of illicit drugs in one year.
• 11.2% of overdose deaths are aged 15 to 24 years.

   Youth Alcohol Abuse is the most commonly abused substance among teens and young adults.

• 1.19 million 12- to 17-year-olds report binge drinking in the last month.
• 11.72 million 18- to 25-year-olds report binge drinking in the last month.
• 7.10 million 12- to 20-year-olds report drinking in the last month.
• Among them, 60.2% report binge drinking during that period.
• 25.6% of 8th graders have abused alcohol at least once.
• 61.5% of teens have abused alcohol by 12th grade.
• 9.15% of all 12- to 17-year-olds used alcohol in the last month.
• 2.7% of 12th graders drink daily.
• 16.8% of 12th graders have 5+ drinks in a row when consuming alcohol.
• 0.4% of 8th graders drink daily; by 10th grade, 1.0% drink daily.                                                                                        

   Youth Drug Abuse trends:

• 12.78% of all 12- to 17-year-olds report using marijuana in the last year.
• 0.42% of all 12- to 17-year-olds report using cocaine in the last year.
• 0.17% report using methamphetamines.
• 0.02% used heroin.
• 2.52% report misusing pain relievers.
• 788,000 12- to 17-year-olds met the criteria for Illicit Drug Use Disorder (IDUD).
• This age group is nearly twice as likely to suffer from IDUD than they are to meet the criteria for AUD.
• 7.0% of 12th graders have abused tranquilizers.
• 7.5% have abused hallucinogens.
• 5.9% have used LSD.

   Marijuana Abuse: is one of the most commonly used illicit substances among youth.

• 6.9% of 12th graders use marijuana daily.
• 43.7% have tried marijuana in their lifetime.
• 35.2% consumed marijuana in the last year.
• 2.4% used synthetic marijuana, also known as K2 or Spice, in the last year.
• 62.8% of 12th graders who used marijuana in the last year consumed marijuana via vaping.
• 12th graders are 82.1% more likely to use marijuana in their lifetime than they are to smoke a cigarette.

​
   Opioid Abuse: is considered a national public health emergency.

• Overdose deaths due to opioids have increased 500% among 15- to 24-year-olds since 1999.
• In the 21st Century, opioid-related OD deaths among this age group increased by as much as 30.7% annually.
• High school students who legitimately use prescription opioids are 33% more likely to misuse opioids after high school.
• 5.3% of 12th graders have abused opioids other than heroin at least once.
• 0.4% of 12th graders have abused heroin.
• In the past year, 2.4% of 12th graders abused OxyContin while 1.2% abused Vicodin.

​​    
   Stimulant Abuse: Youth are more likely to abuse prescription stimulants than they are to abuse cocaine or amphetamines.

• 5.0% of 12- to 17-year-olds report using cocaine in the last year.
• 8.9% of 8th graders have tried amphetamines in their lifetime.
• 1.1% have tried methamphetamine.
• 8th graders in 2020 are 56.1% more likely than 2017’s 8th graders to have tried amphetamines.
• 1.6% of 12th graders have used crack cocaine at least once.
• In the past year, 4.4% of 12th graders have used Adderall while 4.3% have used amphetamine.
• 1.7% have used Ritalin while 1.4% used methamphetamine.

​   
   Indicators of Drug or Alcohol Abuse

• Exaggerated behavior
• Boisterous or argumentative
• Withdrawn

   Speech

• Slurred or slow speech
• Nonsensical patterns
• Confusion

   Physical

• Breath or body odor
• Lack of coordination
• Inability to concentrate

   Performance

• Inability to concentrate
• Fatigue & lack of motivation
• Slowed reactions

      OBSERVE - ASK QUESTIONS - HOW CAN I HELP YOU?

​                
CASA NEWSLETTER 2022

​PLEASE SUPPORT
CASA JEFFERSON
WHEN YOU ARE HOLDAY SHOPPING!

​
                            AMAZONSmile is a simple and automatic way for                                     favorite charitable organization every time you shop, at no cost to you.

​How do I shop with AmazonSmile?
To use AmazonSmile, simply go to smile.amazon.com

How do I select a charitable organization to support with AmazonSmile?
On your first visit to AmazonSmile, you will be prompted to select a charitable organization to receive donations from your future eligible AmazonSmile purchases. (Search for CASA Jefferson)
AmazonSmile will remember your selected charity whenever you shop at smile.amazon.com or with AmazonSmile activated in the Amazon Shopping app, and then every eligible purchase you make through AmazonSmile will result in a donation for your selected charity.

How much of my purchase does Amazon donate?
The AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the purchase price from your                             eligible AmazonSmile purchases.

                                        Wishing you and your family Happy Holidays!                                  Wendy Magee
CASA Jefferson, Executive Director
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

CASA Jefferson’s Mission is to break the cycle of child abuse and neglect through          volunteers advocating for safe, nurturing, and permanent homes for foster                        children in our community. 
​

​​
  November is National Adoption Month. It is the month when the broader community        acknowledges the efforts of those whose lives have been impacted by adoption and who facilitate the process. This month helps spread awareness and encourages all of us to learn about adoption. National Adoption Month celebrates the families who have grown through adoption. It also recognizes the journey of the many children who are still waiting for their destined families. It further highlights the thousands of children worldwide in need of adoption, and how easy it is to make a difference even if you cannot adopt.
 
HISTORY OF NATIONAL ADOPTION MONTH           
Every year, there are more and more children in need of finding secure and safe families. National Adoption Month sheds light on the process and the positive impacts of adoption. The state of Massachusetts was the first to promote adoption-related efforts in 1976. Governor Mike Dukakis announced the first week of November as “Adoption Week” to promote awareness of the need for adoptive families for children in the foster care system. The idea slowly grew in popularity and spread throughout the nation. Following this, in 1984, President Gerald R. Ford made adoption week a national event. As the popularity of this week grew, more states started participating, and it became difficult to fit all the events into a period of seven days. This was when President Bill Clinton extended the week-long event into a whole month, which came to be known as National Adoption Month, which is celebrated globally.
 
National Adoption Month is a chance for all — individuals, families, businesses, organizations, communities, states, and the government — to celebrate adoption. Adoption is encouraged as a positive way to grow families and take children out of foster care. Many fundraising drives, recognition dinners, community activities, and awareness campaigns are held all across the nation to observe this month.
 
National Adoption Month also includes National Adoption Day, November 20. This day is observed in courthouses all across the country, where thousands of adoptions are finalized simultaneously on the Saturday directly after it. Courts are encouraged to deal with the backlog of adoptions on this day. 

                                                November ANNIVERSARYs                               CASA VOLUNTEERS

Alice Reese - 10yrs
Bruce Blenkam - 6yrs
Cynthia Zandi - 4yrs
Kay Hjartberg - 13yrs
Lenora Clemons - 14yrs
Lorenza Lawless – 6yrs
Mary Vastola – 15yrs
Richard Saxer - 10yrs
Shane Wilson - 4yrs
Shanna Johnson - 4yrs
​

                                     Tuesday, November 29, 2022 is Giving Tuesday.                                     A movement born in 2012 as a local experiment. It has grown into a                                  worldwide independent nonprofit that encourages people to do good in their communities.
  
       At CASA Jefferson, we continuously make it our business to end the suffering of those             most vulnerable among us: foster children. Our volunteers advocate for the safety and wellbeing             of children in the foster care system because we believe that every child deserves to grow                       in a safe and loving home.
Make an Impact by Donating with CASA Jefferson

Go to CASA Jefferson’s Face book page https://www.casajefferson.org/giving-tuesday.html    and help us reach our fundraising goal of $10,000 this Giving Tuesday November 29th, 2022! ​

If you know anyone who would be interested in becoming a volunteer have them call our office (504 533-8757) or email Ms. Margaret. As of October 1, 2022, we have 25 children waiting for a volunteer to advocate for them.
​

CASA Jefferson hosted our 1st Advocate Appreciation Celebration since COVID on August 17, 2022!
 
Without our amazing CASA Jefferson Advocate volunteers, we wouldn't be able to accomplish our mission of advocating for the best interest of Jefferson Parish abused and neglected children in foster care.
 
We appreciate everyone!

Domestic Violence Awareness Month is designed to unify women and men all across the world who have been victims of domestic violence. It is important to recognize that domestic violence impacts millions of people, and it’s not only women who are victims; many men suffer domestic violence as well. It is a problem across every status, culture, religion, and race. There are many different forms of domestic violence as well, which is why raising awareness is so critical.
 
Signs You Are In An Abusive Relationship
A lot of people do not realize that they are in an abusive relationship. Here are some of the signs that you could be in an abusive relationship that you need to get out of…

• Your partner sexually or physically abuses you. If they ever make you have sex with them when you don’t want to, hit you, shove you, or push you, this is domestic abuse. 
• Your partner threatens you or your family.
• Your partner puts your down. They attack your capabilities, mental health, looks, or intelligence. They blame you for their violent outbursts.
• Your partner is jealous. They may isolate you from your family or friends or they may accuse you of not being faithful.
• Your partner is possessive. They may check up on you all of the time and they may get angry if you hang out with certain people.
• Your partner has strangled you, beat you, or hit you in the past

Emotional Abuse
A lot of women and men suffer from emotional abuse, and it is no less destructive. Unfortunately, emotional abuse is often overlooked or minimized, even by those experiencing this.
Emotional abusers look to chip away at your feelings of independence and self-worth. You can end up feeling like you do not have anything without your abusive partner or that there is no way out of your relationship. 
Emotional abuse includes verbal abuse. This includes controlling behavior, intimidation, isolation, shaming, blaming, name-calling, and yelling. Abusers who use psychological or emotional abuse will often throw about threats of physical violence, as well as other repercussions if you do not do what they demand. 
The scars of emotional abuse run deep, and they are very real! You may assume that physical abuse is a lot worse, as people can end up with physical wounds and send you to the hospital. However, emotional abuse can be just as damaging. Sometimes, it can even be worse

Financial abuse is one of the subtler forms of emotional abuse. Some examples of this include:

• Taking your money or stealing from your wallet
• Sabotaging your job – calling constantly or making you miss work
• Preventing you from choosing your own career or working
• Restricting you to an allowance
• Withholding basic necessities, such as shelter, medications, clothes, and food 
• Making you account for every penny you spend
• Withholding credit cards or money
• Rigidly controlling your finances

What are the short-term effects of Domestic Violence on children?
Children in homes where one parent is abused may feel fearful and anxious. They may always be on guard, wondering when the next violent event will happen.3 This can cause them to react in different ways, depending on their age:

• Children in preschool. Young children who witness intimate partner violence may start doing things they used to do when they were younger, such as bed-wetting, thumb-sucking, increased crying, and whining. They may also develop difficulty falling or staying asleep; show signs of terror, such as stuttering or hiding; and show signs of severe separation anxiety.
• School-aged children. Children in this age range may feel guilty about the abuse and blame themselves for it. Domestic violence and abuse hurts children’s self-esteem. They may not participate in school activities or get good grades, have fewer friends than others, and get into trouble more often. They also may have a lot of headaches and stomachaches.
• Teens. Teens who witness abuse may act out in negative ways, such as fighting with family members or skipping school. They may also engage in risky behaviors, such as having unprotected sex and using alcohol or drugs. They may have low self-esteem and have trouble making friends. They may start fights or bully others and are more likely to get in trouble with the law. This type of behavior is more common in teen boys who are abused in childhood than in teen girls. Girls are more likely than boys to be withdrawn and to experience depression.4

​What are the long-term effects of Domestic Violence on children?
More than 15 million children in the United States live in homes in which domestic violence has happened at least once.5 These children are at greater risk for repeating the cycle as adults by entering into abusive relationships or becoming abusers themselves. 

You can help your children by:

• Helping them feel safe. Children who witness or experience domestic violence need to feel safe.9 Consider whether leaving the abusive relationship might help your child feel safer. Talk to your child about the importance of healthy relationships.
• Talking to them about their fears. Let them know that it’s not their fault or your fault. Learn more about how to listen and talk to your child about domestic violence (link is external) (PDF, 229 KB).
• Talking to them about healthy relationships. Help them learn from the abusive experience by talking about what healthy relationships are and are not. This will help them know what is healthy when they start romantic relationships of their own.
• Talking to them about boundaries. Let your child know that no one has the right to touch them or make them feel uncomfortable, including family members, teachers, coaches, or other authority figures. Also, explain to your child that he or she doesn’t have the right to touch another person’s body, and if someone tells them to stop, they should do so right away.
• Helping them find a reliable support system. In addition to a parent, this can be a school counselor, a therapist, or another trusted adult who can provide ongoing support. Know that school counselors are required to report domestic violence or abuse if they suspect it.

Getting them professional help. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a type of talk therapy or counseling that may work best for children who have experienced violence or abuse.10 CBT is especially helpful for children who have anxiety or other mental health problems as a result of the trauma.11 During CBT, a therapist will work with your child to turn negative thoughts into more positive ones. The therapist can also help your child learn healthy ways to cope with stress. 

Your supervisor will be providing you with a wish list for your CASA Jefferson child to fill out. There are 2 different wish lists - one is for children 12 and under and the other is for children 13 and over. Please have your CASA child, foster parent and/or parent complete the correct wish list and return to you ASAP.  Other children in the home who are not CASA children should NOT fill out a wish list. Also, don’t forget to set the expectation that every item wished for - may not be received.

ALL COMPLETED WISH LISTS ARE DUE BACK TO YOUR SUPERVISOR BY MONDAY, OCTOBER 3rd
​
All gifts will be held at our office until foster parents and/or parents are notified to pick them up. As soon as pick up dates and times are finalized, all advocates will be notified.
Our hope is that since we are getting an early start, most of the gifts will come in earlier than in years past, so that our kids can hopefully receive their gifts by early December. Lastly, if   you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact your supervisor.

Bullying is when a person is picked on over and over again by an individual or group with more power, either in terms of physical strength or social standing. Kids who are bullied can experience negative physical, school, and mental health issues. Kids who are bullied are more likely to experience depression and anxiety, increased feelings of sadness and loneliness, changes in sleep and eating patterns, and loss of interest in activities they used to enjoy, decreased academic achievement and they are more likely to miss, skip, or drop out of school.

Here are some things you can do to combat psychological and verbal bullying.

Ignore the bully and walk away. Bullies thrive on the reaction they get, and if you walk away or ignore hurtful emails or instant messages, you’re telling the bully that you just don’t care.

Hold the anger. That’s exactly the response he or she is trying to get, and want to know they have control over your emotions.

Don’t get physical. Not only are you showing your anger, but you also can never be sure what the bully will do in response. You are more likely to be hurt and get into trouble if you use violence against a bully.

Practice confidence. Practice ways to respond to the bully verbally or through your behavior. Practice feeling good about yourself.

Talk about it. It may help to talk to a guidance counselor, teacher, or friend — anyone who can give you the support you need. Talking can be a good outlet for the fears and frustrations that can build when you’re being bullied.
Parents, school staff, and other adults in the community can help kids prevent bullying by talking about it, building a safe school environment, and creating a community-wide bullying prevention strategy.  They can:
​

• Help Kids Understand Bullying:  Talk about what bullying is and how to stand up to it safely. Tell kids bullying is unacceptable. Make sure kids know how to get help.
• Keep the Lines of Communication Open: Check in with kids often. Listen to them. Know their friends, ask about school, and understand their concerns.
• Help kids take part in activities: Special activities, interests, and hobbies can boost confidence, help kids make friends, and protect them from bullying behavior.
• Model How to Treat Others with Kindness and Respect

You can raise money for (CASA Jefferson) non-profit organizations you care about on Facebook for your Birthday??

Listed below is a sample message your Facebook Friends will see when you set up a fundraiser:
“For my birthday this year, I'm asking for donations to CASA Jefferson. I've chosen this nonprofit because their mission means a lot to me, and I hope you'll consider contributing as a way to celebrate with me. Every little bit will help me reach my goal. I've included information about CASA Jefferson below.”

How do I create a fundraiser on Facebook?
 

1. On your computer, login to Facebook.
2. On the left, click   Fundraisers.
   • Tip: If you don't see Fundraisers on the left, then click See more.
3. On the left, click Raise money.
4. Click Nonprofit.
5. You can either:
   • Type into the search bar to find the nonprofit you want to raise money for
6. Select the nonprofit.
7. On the left, enter:
   • The goal amount of money you want to raise
8. Click Create.

​You’ll see a screen pop up where you can invite your friends to donate to your fundraiser, share your fundraiser in your feed, or donate to the fundraiser yourself.