http://www.adv4children.org/ http://adv4children.org/images/casa48x48.png http://www.adv4children.org/ Make a difference in the life of a child. Advocates for Children is a non-profit CASA organization in Colorado that provides a voice for children in the court system. Volunteer or donate today. en-us In 2002, when Ranelle Gregory became a court appointed special advocate – CASA – volunteer with Advocates for Children, she did so because she wanted to make the difference in the lives of abused and neglected children. And that’s exactly what she did. “I worked with a family of three young children whose mother was in prison,” Gregory recalled, “And I was deeply touched by the opportunity to work with children who needed someone on their side who listens and cares. Being a CASA volunteer was extremely rewarding.” But as the busy owner of Your Best Friend’s Closet – the Denver vintage and consignment store that 5280 Magazine rated the best of its category– Gregory soon found she no longer had the time serve as a CASA volunteer. That didn’t stop her from wanting t help raise awareness – and money – for this worthwhile program, however. On July 20, Gregory hosted a fundraiser fashion show at Cucina Calore Restaurant in Cherry Creek. More than 125 guests gathered at this popular Italian restaurant to s... Catherine Chaney Bowman, APR Fri, 23 Feb 2007 18:55:41 +0000 Press Release http://adv4children.org/news/release/11 http://adv4children.org/news/release/11 Records shattered this past October 8, 2005, at the Wildlife Experience, as the Ninth Annual Red Wagon Ball welcomed over 450 guests and raised over $200,000 to help abused and neglected children in the 18th Judicial District. An event hosted by Advocates for Children and the Colorado Avalanche Community Fund, a fund of the McCormick Tribune Foundation, this year’s Red Wagon Ball also celebrated Advocates’ 20 years of providing CASA – court appointed special advocate – volunteers to abused and neglected children in Arapahoe, Douglas, Elbert and Lincoln counties. The evening’s guest of honor was Theresa Spahn, J.D., Executive Director of the Office of Child’s Representative, who received Advocates’ 2005 Friend of Children Award. Fox 31 News Anchors Libby Weaver and Ron Zappolo served as emcees. Among the 450 guests, the event attracted such prominent civic, philanthropic, business and judicial leaders as: Hal and Connie Roth, Shellie and Simon Moore, Todd and Shannon Gervasini, Drs. Marshall and Joyce Go... Catherine Chaney Bowman, APR Fri, 23 Feb 2007 19:28:29 +0000 Press Release http://adv4children.org/news/release/23 http://adv4children.org/news/release/23 August 2006 – In recognition of their philanthropy on behalf of Colorado’s children and families, Advocates for Children has named Coco and Pierre Lacroix as its 2006 Friend of Children award winners. Through his role as president and general manager of the Colorado Avalanche Hockey Club, Pierre Lacroix has been the guiding force behind the team’s Legacy Project, a community program that gave $100,000 grants to each of ten worthwhile programs and agencies during the April 5, 2006 ceremony billed as “One Million One Night.” The Legacy Project pushed the total funds given by the Colorado Avalanche Community Fund past the $11 million benchmark since the team arrived in Colorado in 1995. Mr. and Mrs. Lacroix will be honored at Advocates’ tenth annual Red Wagon Ball, to be held Saturday, October 14, 2006, from 6:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. at the Wildlife Experience in Parker, just off Lincoln and I-25. Fox 31 News anchors Libby Weaver and Ron Zappolo will once again emcee, and celebrity auctioneer Gary Corbett will ... Catherine Chaney Bowman, APR Fri, 23 Feb 2007 18:30:38 +0000 Press Release http://adv4children.org/news/release/9 http://adv4children.org/news/release/9 Twenty-seven new CASA -- Court Appointed Special Advocate -- volunteers were recently sworn in by the 18th Judicial District Court. The volunteers will advocate for abused and neglected children through the private, non-profit organization, Advocates for Children. These new CASA volunteers included: Nicole Beal, Annette Beale, Jennifer Bernhardt, Dayna Cade, Rhonda Clay, Tosha Clay, Chelsey Colburn, Denise Eiseman, Jackie Gates, Becky Haniszewski, Sarah Hein, Lisa Heule, Jeanne Kaufman, Bill Kutler, Carrie Ladyga, Christine Linville, Fred Myers, Beverly Nora, Lindsey Parlin, Dolby Posadas-Olvera, Anja Rathmann, Fernanda Read, Michael Rhoades, Anna Sheahan, Daisy Small, David Witt and Shokoufeh Zarini. Each volunteer has completed over 30 hours of training and will be assigned to a child who has suffered abuse or neglect. Their task is to get to know all parties involved in the case, “speak up” for the child’s best interests by providing information to the Court that will decide the child’s future and to... Catherine Chaney Bowman, APR Fri, 23 Feb 2007 19:07:50 +0000 Press Release http://adv4children.org/news/release/13 http://adv4children.org/news/release/13 Showing their support for abused and neglected children, 22 Metro Denver auto dealers joined together in a “Rally for Kids” to benefit the four CASA agencies in the area: Advocates for Children, CASA of Adams and Broomfield Counties, CASA of Jefferson and Gilpin Counties, and Denver CASA. The auto dealers’ combined efforts helped raise nearly $10,000, with the coveted “CASA Cup” going to the two dealers who raised the most money: Ed Bozarth Chevrolet and Budget Car and Truck Sales. Jason Hachmeister, Ed Bozarth Chevrolet’s general manager and this year’s Rally chair, said: “As a good corporate citizen of our community, we care about the more than 10,000 Colorado children who are victims of abuse and neglect each year. That’s why we are committed to supporting CASA – court appointed special advocate – volunteers, who work closely with the courts to help ensure that the children’s best interests are served.” Corporate sponsor was CMC Dealership Services. Participating dealers included: Automotive Sear... Catherine Chaney Bowman, APR Fri, 23 Feb 2007 19:17:03 +0000 Press Release http://adv4children.org/news/release/19 http://adv4children.org/news/release/19 February 23, 2007 On August 13, 2006, at Casey Jones Park in Elizabeth, a record-breaking crowd of more than 1,000 kids and their families enjoyed the seventh annual Home on the Range, a Wild West event featuring a rough stock rodeo, mutton bustin’, watermelon crawl, stick horse racing, horse and carriage rides, petting zoo, face painting, crafts, free BBQ, plus much more, all while helping to raise $104,000 for Advocates for Children, the CASA program that serves abused and neglected children in Arapahoe, Douglas, Elbert and Lincoln counties. “The success of this event is a direct result of the leadership and generosity of Simon and Shellie Moore, of Town and Country Foods,” explains Peggy Rudden, Advocates’ executive director. “This event has been their inspiration and gift to the community for the past seven years. We’re also deeply grateful to all the many sponsors who have supported this event with their financial gifts and in-kind donations.” In addition to the many local businesses who supporte... Catherine Chaney Bowman, APR Fri, 23 Feb 2007 18:31:21 +0000 Press Release http://adv4children.org/news/release/7 http://adv4children.org/news/release/7 At the Wildlife Experience October 14, 2006, when Red Wagon Ball Emcee Libby Weaver told 430-plus guests in attendance that Advocates for Children needed to raise twice the funds to provide a CASA to every child who needs one, no one expected the crowd would meet the challenge in a single night. But that’s just about what happened, as civic, business and community leaders raised their paddles often and generously during the live auction, bringing the total raised by this year’s Red Wagon Ball to $350,000 -- $170,000 more than the previous record. Several auction items – among them a Milan Hejduk Colorado Avalanche jersey – were sold then donated back to be auctioned off again and again. During the “paddle raiser” portion of the program, when attendees have the opportunity to sponsor a CASA child, over $182,000 was raised. The highlight of the evening was presentation of the Friend of Children Award to this year’s honorees: Pierre and Coco Lacroix, of the Colorado Avalanche Hockey Club. During his graci... Catherine Chaney Bowman, APR Fri, 23 Feb 2007 18:31:45 +0000 Press Release http://adv4children.org/news/release/8 http://adv4children.org/news/release/8 In recognition of his efforts on behalf of Colorado’s children, Advocates for Children has named former Nuggets player and head coach, Bill Hanzlik, as its 2007 Friend of Children award winner. Advocates for Children was one of the beneficiaries of Hanzlik's early philanthropy on behalf of Colorado’s children back in the 1980s while he was still playing for the Nuggets. Over the years, he has continued to focus on children, using sports-related activities to help youth build character and foster self-confidence. Today he is the full-time CEO of the Gold Crown Foundation, a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation dedicated to improving the lives of Colorado’s children through athletics and education. Hanzlik will be honored at Advocates’ eleventh annual Red Wagon Ball, to be held Saturday, October 6, 2007, from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. at the Hyatt Denver Tech Center. Fox 31 News anchors Libby Weaver and Ron Zappolo will once again emcee, and celebrity auctioneer Gary Corbett will return to conduct the live auction... Catherine Chaney Bowman, APR Tue, 28 Aug 2007 03:16:54 +0000 Press Release http://adv4children.org/news/release/10 http://adv4children.org/news/release/10 On October 3, Denver Associates Ryan Roland, Sarah Behnke, Allison Pearson, and Andy Silver presented CASA Executive Director Peggy Rudden with a grant check from the Jackson National Community Fund. Advocates for Children will use the grant to continue the ongoing work of their Expedited Permanency Planning (EPP) project. In the 2006-07 fiscal year, 255 volunteers served 656 children on 334 cases. Of these children, 470 were a part of EPP cases, which involve children under the age of six and require children to be in a permanent home within one year. These EPP cases are CASA’s highest staffing priority because they believe that early intervention is best and can help stop the cycle of abuse and neglect. Catherine Chaney Bowman, APR Thu, 25 Oct 2007 19:06:46 +0000 Press Release http://adv4children.org/news/release/29 http://adv4children.org/news/release/29 Jewelers for Children (JFC), the leading charity of the US jewelry industry, is helping Advocates for Children reach out to more abused and neglected kids in Elbert County with an $8,500 grant to help recruit more CASA volunteers. “Our program helps make sure each child victim of abuse and neglect has a voice in court and ultimately finds a safe, permanent home,” explains Advocates’ executive director, Peggy Rudden. “And with this generous grant from the JFC, we will be able to recruit, train and support ten new volunteers to serve 20 more children in Elbert County.” Although Advocates for Children serves over 700 children in the 18th Judicial District each year, at least another 700 victims go without a CASA because of a volunteer shortage. “JFC’s unwavering support will provide critical advocacy services to children forced to navigate the child protection system this year,” says Michael Piraino, National CASA Association CEO. “Through this national partnership, the jewelry industry’s commitment has l... Catherine Chaney Bowman, APR Thu, 31 Jan 2008 17:43:37 +0000 Press Release http://adv4children.org/news/release/30 http://adv4children.org/news/release/30 Don't miss the twelfth annual Red Wagon Ball from 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday, October 11, 2008 at the Ritz-Carlton, Denver, 1881 Curtis Street. Call 303.695.1882 to RSVP or learn about sponsorship opportunitie! Catherine Chaney Bowman, APR Mon, 30 Jun 2008 15:51:31 +0000 Event http://adv4children.org/events/details/22 http://adv4children.org/events/details/22