Alaska Child Maltreatment Conference
“Charting New Trails”
November 4-6, 2008
The Hilton Hotel -Anchorage, Alaska

Registration is available now for the 2008 Alaska Child Maltreatment Conference. sponsored by the Alaska Children's Alliance (an association of Alaska's child advocacy centers) with support from Alaska CASA, Alaska Children's Justice Act Task Force, Providence Children's Hospital and others. Download a registration form.

Join hundreds of Alaskans for this year's conference, featuring dozens of workshop options presented by child maltreatment experts from around the country. View the conference program.

Special Note to Alaska CASA volunteers: watch for an email in mid-August with details about how to apply for a scholarship to attend this conference.

2007 Alaska CASA/GAL Conference

Note: the 2007 Alaska CASA/GAL Conference was approved for 11.5 CEUs by the Alaska Board of Social Work Examiners and the Alaska Board of Professional Counselors.

Thanks for a great conference

The 2007 Alaska CASA/GAL Conference, Celebrating 20 Years of CASA in Alaska, was held September 14-15th at the Anchorage Millennium Hotel. Many thanks to all who participated in making this year's conference such a success! View photos.

Over 140 child advocates, social workers, foster parents and service providers joined Honorary Chairperson and Master of Ceremonies William Hitchcock  for two days of informative workshops, networking with colleagues from across Alaska, and recognition of the enormous contribution CASA volunteers have made to Alaska's child protection system over the last two decades.

Department of Administration Commissioner Annette Kreitzer welcomed participants and conveyed best wishes from the Governor. Native Village of Eklutna Elder Alberta Stephan gave the opening blessing, and Audrey Armstrong delivered the opening keynote address. Teens Acting Against Violence, a group from Bethel, closed Friday with a powerful performance. The ever-popular judges panel began the morning on Saturday with a discussion of involving youth in court. The youth from Facing Foster Care in Alaska facilitated their own workshop on the youth perspective of the CASA/GAL role. The conference closed with a presentation by Ma'o Tosi about the PRIDE Club youth programs he started last year on his own time and with his own money.

The highlight of the conference was surely the Recognition Luncheon on Saturday. Jim Clune, Senior Communications Officer with National CASA, updated participants on National CASA's efforts to spread the word about CASA - including new PSAs that will run during the season premiere of CSI and then periodically in prime time on CBS.

William Hitchcock, who emceed the luncheon, recognized Alaska CASA co-founders Liz Still, Pam Montgomery and Jay McCarthy with the title of Honorary CASA Volunteer. Pam and Jay were on hand to share a few anecdotes about what it took to gain acceptance of the CASA concept in Alaska.

And then there were the awards: thirty CASA volunteers from around the state received Presidential Service Awards for their volunteer service in 2006. The Valley Quilters Guild received the award for outstanding service to CASAs for Children; Marcia Honea (Anchorage) was recognized for outstanding mentoring of CASA volunteers; Teresa Connelly, Bev Harper, Marianne Hieronymous, Martha Wilder (Anchorage), Lori Cannon (Fairbanks), Robert Wild (Juneau) and Barbara McDaniel (Valley) received Outstanding Service as a CASA Volunteer awards.

Thanks to our wonderful exhibitors: CASAs for Children, Volunteers of America Alaska, Southern New Hampshire University graduate program, Standing Together Against Rape (STAR), Darkness to Light, PFLAG, University of Alaska Anchorage AHAINA Student Programs, Alaska Job Corps, and Good Samaritan Counseling.

And many, many thanks to the conference planning committee: Jane Atkinson, Currey Cook, June Haisten, Laura Haywood, Barb Malchick, LeeAnn Reicks, Cecily Skoog-Moore, Lynn Squires-White, Marsha Tandeske, Kay Wallis. You made it all happen!

Gateway Rotary Grants $1K to Support Conference

The Gateway Rotary Club in Anchorage awarded a $1000 grant to CASAs for Children to help underwrite the costs of the 2007 conference "Celebrating 20 Years of CASA in Alaska." The generosity of the Gateway Rotarians  helped defray the cost of hosting the Recognition Luncheon, which celebrated the enormous contributions made by CASA volunteers in advocating for abused and neglected children. Thank you Gateway Rotary!