FRIENDS OF ALASKA CASA

14TH ANNUAL SILENT QUILT AUCTION

Our 14^th Annual Silent Quilt Auction was held on Saturday, November 21, at the gorgeous ConocoPhillips Atrium.  There were 162 quilts donated by over 100 incredibly generous and creative quilters throughout Alaska and the Lower 48.  Once again, the bidders and spectators were entertained by the exquisite sounds of Sally’s Kitchen and the energetic and melodious tunes of Asteroids.

Congratulations to Trinette Kaufman the winner of The Cat’s Meow, this year’s queen-size raffle quilt!   Becky Rudisill made and donated the raffle quilt and Debra Carney donated the machine quilting.  Both Becky and Debra are quilters extraordinaire and we are appreciative of both their talent and generosity.

Quilt Photo by Brian Hickok

 

 

 

 

At the close of the day, over $25,800 was raised from the auction of quilts, sales of CASA merchandise and raffle tickets, and cash donations.

The stars of this year’s auction are the exceptionally artistic and magnanimous quilters. A big thank you to this year's quilt donors.

We extend our deepest thanks to the members of our community who attended this event, to all the auction helpers, and to the following businesses that are instrumental in the auction’s success: 

Alaska Event Services, ConocoPhillips Alaska, Dina’s Cozy Cabin,

Doriola’s Restaurant, Felicity’s Expresso, Great Harvest Bread,

Just Sew, Seams Like Home, Sylvia’s Quilt Depot, The Quilt Tree,

Spenard Builders Supply, and Valley Quilters’ Guild.

SAVE THE DATE!!!  

This year’s quilt auction will be held on Saturday, November 20, 2010.  Debby Hudson, the Quilt Auction Organizer, accepts quilts at anytime throughout the year.  If you have any questions or would like additional information about the quilt auction, .please contact Debby at DebbyHudson@gci.net or at 337-7990.

Click here to view pictures from this year's auction.

 

Meet the Fall 2009 Anchorage CASA Volunteer Class

In one of the largest classes ever, sixteen new Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteers were sworn in on Thursday, October 8th by Anchorage Children's Court Master William Hitchcock. Please welcome them!

[Left to Right]
Front row: Ryan Zinn, Connie Carson, Tamzin Malone, John Grover Whitlock, Judy Everard, Jennifer Simeonoff, Nancy Voorhees
Back row: Debbie Johnson, Lisa Azimi-Tabrizi, Lisa May, Ellie Sutton, Xochitl Rodriquez, Jean Lorenson, Stephanie Pawlowski
(Not pictured: Tammy Edmondson, Pat Smith)

 

 

ALASKA JUDGE HONORED AT

NATIONAL CASA CONFERENCE

Alaska CASA is pleased and proud to announce that Anchorage Children's Court Master William Hitchcock has been named 2009 Judge of the Year by the National CASA Association. The award salutes the commitment and impact of a judge, and was presented at the awards banquet on April 26th during the 28th Annual National CASA Association Conference in Denver.

Master Hitchcock was chosen for his commitment to the Alaska CASA program dating back to its origins in 1987. He has been its most ardent supporter within the Alaska judiciary ever since. He has supported expansion efforts over the years by talking about the benefits of the CASA program to his judicial colleagues statewide. Master Hitchcock has been a regular contributor to the Alaska CASA quarterly newsletter since its publication began in 1993, and he has been a frequent presenter at CASA conferences and in-service training sessions.

Master Hitchcock identifies necessary improvements in the child welfare system in a way that influences everyone to work together to build a better system. And he frequently takes a critical look at the processes used in his own court to ensure they exemplify best practices. In short, if it’s innovative and will improve the court system for children and youth, he’s involved – often leading the way.

Additionally, Master Hitchcock has presided over and sworn in virtually every new CASA volunteer in Anchorage over the past 21 years! Perhaps most important of all, Master Hitchcock is very respectful of CASA volunteers in court, listening carefully to their input and thanking them for their efforts.

Congratulations Master Hitchcock!

Pictured L-R: National CASA CEO Michael Piraino, William Hitchcock

Large Alaska Delegation Attends Conference

Congratulations to D Owens (Juneau), Cherry Galloway (Anchorage) and Robbie Stell (Juneau), the three lucky CASA volunteers who attended the l the 2009 National CASA Association Conference in Denver, CO. Cherry, D and Robbie joined FAC board members Starr Marsett and Laura Haywood, FAC staffer Ryan Zinn, CASA volunteer Sherri Williams, CASA program staffers Marion Hallum and Jamey Duhamel, and FFCA members Amanda Metivier, Kaylee Day, Candace Tucker, Michael Schweitert and Angel Adams. (FFCA members were presenters at the conference; see the FFCA page of this website for more) Former state director Brenda Dickison joined the Alaska group at the awards banquet to congratulate Bill Hitchcock on his achievement.

The National CASA Association conference brings together over 1500 child advocates. It is a wonderful opportunity to receive new information, meet other CASA volunteers, and learn about what's going on in child advocacy around the country. The 2010 conference will be held April 16-19th in Atlanta.