2024 Highlights: A CASA Holiday Letter
Heart of CASA 2024: Wonder
What a wonder-filled night! On October 10, 2024, the CASA community gathered at The High Five GR for the annual Heart of CASA dinner.
AS 2024 DRAWS TO A CLOSE, we reflect on an incredible year with many highlights!
JANUARY BEGAN with our Drugs 101 training in partnership with Corewell Health, and we welcomed Kevin Nelson and Kristen Snyder to our Board of Directors.
FEBRUARY FEATURED our second “Phone a Friend February” campaign to recruit more CASA volunteers. We also celebrated Clare Parks’ retirement. 
MARCH BROUGHT CONNECTION with a board and staff social and the launch of 2024’s first volunteer training class.
APRIL SHONE BRIGHTLY as 380 guests attended the Here Comes the Sun luncheon at Frederik Meijer Gardens. Thirteen new volunteers were sworn in as officers of the court.
MAY WAS FULL OF ADVOCACY. Writer’s Alley hosted Mom Always Says to raise funds for CASA and share heartfelt stories. We attended CASA Day at the Capitol, advocating for state funding.
JUNE WAS ALL ABOUT COMMUNITY. We hosted a volunteer mixer and celebrated Family Reunification Day alongside our child welfare partners at John Ball Zoo. Seven new volunteers were sworn in, advancing our mission.
JULY KICKED OFF WITH summer fun as staff played a bingo game sharing summer highlights. Christina Burr joined our Board of Directors, and our staff also engaged with court-appointed attorneys.
AUGUST WAS A TIME OF GRATITUDE with our annual Volunteer Appreciation Dinner. CASA was the nonprofit partner for Baker Holtz’s Charity Golf Outing and received $20,000. We also partnered with the West Michigan Jazz Society at Child Welfare Night for Jazz in the Park.
SEPTEMBER BROUGHT LEARNING via our board and staff retreat, which included implicit bias training. We also bid farewell to long-serving board members Andy Rent and Tony Grossa.
OCTOBER WAS WONDEROUS as 190 guests joined us for Heart of CASA: Wonder. We welcomed 12 new volunteers and added Angie Mason-Maranda to our Board of Directors.
NOVEMBER KICKED OFF another volunteer training class, further growing our network of advocates.
IN DECEMBER, we will swear in more new volunteers and celebrate the holidays with CASA children and volunteers.
THIS YEAR, we also welcomed staff members Carrie Shoesmith, Larry Jay, and Molly Charlebois, and our first Development & Marketing Interns: Hadley, Kim, and Fiona.
Thank you for being a part of a beautiful and impactful year! We wish you a joyful holiday season filled with love, hope, and community.
WITH GRATITUDE, CASA OF KENT COUNTY
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