More Than Just Talk...

Heading in to the office, crown and all!

This afternoon was spent at CASA Lake County.  I sat down with our Executive Director, Terri Zenner Greenberg; Dir of Communications and Development, Joanie Bayhack; and a few board members. It was the first time I had been to the office since becoming Mrs. International.  Although I normally would go it alone, I had my daughter with me.  It’s that time of year when summer camps are done, school has not started and sitters are on vacation.  Ali was a gem during the two hours of meetings and we were able to get a lot of work accomplished.

Some of my favorite people from CASA Lake County

You will often hear me say how much I love the enthusiasm everyone at CASA Lake County has for CASA!  The support they are offering me is having such a positive impact on my year as Mrs. International.  Today we discussed what’s been taking place with the program and we talked about what plans need to be made.  It was a great way to figure out how to most effectively help our Lake County office that has already offered so much to me personally and to the abused and neglected children we serve.

Be the change!

Amy Gregorio 
Your Mrs. International 2013
 www.CASALakeCounty.com

Platform Goals

There’s so much to do and the clock is ticking. I have hit the ground running and in a pair of 5 inch heels!
Even if I had not become Mrs. International, my work on behalf of CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) would continue.

One of our main goals for CASA is to have a volunteer for every child in need by 2020 which means creating more awareness about our organization. As Mrs. International, I now have more opportunities to reach out to potential volunteers and organizations who can help us reach this goal. And I will do my very best to take advantage of every chance to speak about the organization and the children who need us all.
CASA is challenging to promote because what we do is so confidential.  Many of these young ones could be put in harm’s way should we give away too much information.  So you may not see the work I and other volunteers do because it must remain off-camera; their lives are not worth a photo op.  But the work is getting accomplished.  

As a national ambassador for CASA and member of the Speaker’s Bureau, I talk with many groups including corporations with volunteer programs.  Given more than a decade of working as a T.V. journalist, I have colleagues in media situated throughout the world. My plan is to call upon them as I travel.  Social media is a key to efficiently and effectively getting the word out there about CASA.

I am already working with organizations such as Prevent Child Abuse America (PCA) and Child Help.  Both wonderful organizations are dedicated to keeping child abuse and neglect from happening which is of great help to CASA. PCA has programs in the U.S. Puerto Rico and Canada and they’re part of the National Blue Ribbon Campaign, holding many big events during the year, but April is when they kick off “Child Abuse Prevention Month.”

Child Help is one of the only abuse hotlines which is staffed 24/7. Before becoming Mrs. International, I was asked to help them with Erin’s Law here in Illinois.  It is mandated in several states right now, requiring grades 1-6 to receive education about child abuse, neglect and bullying. It will be introduced in several more states this year and the program has already seen great results in Florida.

Considering 40-million children around the world suffer abuse neglect every single year. My platform has a universal message:  We need to save the futures of these children who suffer in silence.  As Mrs. International, I will continue building global partnerships with organizations like Child Helpline International.
Right now, these motivated organizations, along with CASA, are designing new ways to use this title of mine to benefit them on a broader level.

There will be a few meetings in this next week to discuss new opportunities. And the International Pageant system directors and staff are ready to help put all of this in to quick action.  It’s only been a couple of weeks and the calendar is already started to fill up! It's my mission to help ensure each of these children can look forward to a better future. And I plan to do so while representing the International Pageants system to the very best of my abilities which includes promoting our alliance with Go Red for Women.  Stay tuned!

Be the change,

Amy Gregorio 
You Mrs. International 2013

CASA. A Child's Voice.

CASA. A Child’s Voice.

What is CASA? It stands for Court Appointed Special Advocates. We speak up in court for children who are removed from homes because of abuse and neglect. Although I have been a volunteer with child-based organizations since I was in college, I have been a CASA in Lake County, Illinois for 5-years. It has been one of the more challenging, yet most rewarding endeavors.

CASA came in to existence in 1977 because of Seattle Judge, David Soukup. (I believe he deserves a Nobel Peace Prize.) He worried late in to the night about decisions he was making on behalf of abused and neglected children. There was little time and even less information to help the judge make good decisions which would forever impact a child’s life. So he began enlisting volunteer citizens to act as his eyes and ears for cases coming through his court.

Judge David Soukup.

Today, CASA has nearly 1000 program offices and 77-thousand volunteers across the United States. Sounds like a lot, right? Well, it’s a start. Much more must be done. For every child with a volunteer advocate, another two children must go it alone in the overburdened and underfunded child welfare system. Right now, 700-thousand children find themselves in the foster care and family court systems. These aren’t just a bunch of statistics. These are children. Some have never been told they are loved or special. Others have lived in conditions much like a horror film.

The U.S. has the highest rate of child abuse and neglect of any industrialized nation. Without a CASA, these young survivors are more likely to drop out of school and become teen parents. They may not receive needed services and they will be more likely to struggle with violent relationship and substance abuse issues. They do not deserve this type of forecast.

What is the best way to help CASA? We need to prevent abuse and neglect. Period. Until then, we need more advocates. And we need more money. This year our federal funding was chopped. That funding is desperately needed to train volunteers, start new programs and provide services for children we help.

I encourage you to open your heart to these children. We all need to speak up for their rights and their futures. It’s the least we can for those who deserve so much better than what they have endured.

www.CASAforChildren.org

www.CASALakeCounty.com

Be the change,

Amy Gregorio
Your Mrs. International 2013

CASA

BE A POWERFUL VOICE

I’m a proud heart mom! I carried Halle-Grace in my heart vs. my tummy! Being a mother is the MOST rewarding job and the best title I will ever have!

Many of you have read and can probably recite our adoption story word for word. We had a multitude of twists and turns, but the JOY of the Journey is what I choose to focus on and want to share with everyone I meet as Mrs. International.

After adopting Halle-Grace, I couldn’t just stop advocating for orphans/children in foster care because I truly believe that every child deserves a loving and permanent home! After Halle-Grace came home, I couldn’t help but think about all of the children languishing in orphanages and in the foster care system. Many children are not eligible for adoption; however, they all need your VOICE! I saw a need, and I took action! I contacted the National Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) office and within weeks, I was sitting in training classes to become a Court Appointed Special Advocate/ Guardian Ad Litem (GAL).

For privacy reasons, this is about the only photo I can share. Sorry you can’t see my adorable kiddos who are SO very special!

Based on the confidentiality of the cases, I obviously cannot share any details on a weekly basis. There are many things that I do to support my platform that cannot be shared publicly, however, as I have said many times, “Being the best Mrs. International is not measured by the number of photos you take in your crown and banner... what it’s about…is a job of service. It’s about changing lives, saving lives, and ensuring children, just like Halle-Grace, are placed in a forever family.” Being Mrs. International is work from the heart!

GAL volunteers are appointed by judges to visit with, and advocate for, abused and neglected children, to make sure they don’t get lost in the overburdened legal and social service system or languish in inappropriate settings. As a Guardian, I stay with each case I’m assigned to until the child (or in many cases children) get placed in a safe, permanent home. Sadly, for many of these children, court appointed guardians might be the one constant adult presence in their lives! Independent research has demonstrated that children with a guardian are substantially less likely to spend time in long-term foster care and less likely to reenter the system.

Consider contacting the National CASA office, use the voice God gave you to help a child! http://www.casaforchildren.org/

Shannon Devine

More information from the National Website….

Who Are CASA Volunteers? MRS. INTERNATIONAL 2010, Shannon Devine and countless others who SPEAK for those who can’t.

Last year, more than 70,900 CASA and guardian ad litem (GAL) volunteers helped 237,000 abused and neglected children find safe, permanent homes. CASA volunteers are everyday citizens who have undergone screening and training with their local CASA/GAL program.

Who Are the Children CASA Volunteer Help? Judges appoint CASA volunteers to represent the best interests of children who have been removed from their homes due to abuse or neglect. Each year, more than 780,000 children experience foster care in this country. Because there are not enough CASA volunteers to represent all of the children in care, judges typically assign CASA volunteers to their most difficult cases.

How Did the CASA Movement Begin? In 1977, a Seattle juvenile court judge concerned about making drastic decisions with insufficient information conceived the idea of citizen volunteers speaking up for the best interests of abused and neglected children in the courtroom. From that first program has grown a network of more than 1,000 CASA and guardian ad litem program offices that are recruiting, training and supporting volunteers in 49 states.

How Is CASA Funded? The primary source of National CASA's funding is the federal government, through the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). Additional support comes from Jewelers for Children, individuals and other private funders.