{"id":2628,"date":"2021-02-11T10:23:01","date_gmt":"2021-02-11T18:23:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nationalcasagal.org\/?page_id=2628"},"modified":"2021-03-10T09:57:40","modified_gmt":"2021-03-10T17:57:40","slug":"raising-the-bar","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/nationalcasagal.org\/celebrating-our-partnership\/raising-the-bar\/","title":{"rendered":"Raising the Bar"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Raising the Bar<\/h1>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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Mary Ellen Kutsenda Fitzsimonds and Laura Ware Doerre<\/h2>\n\t\t
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Mary Ellen Kutsenda Fitzsimonds and Laura Ware Doerre. Photo courtesy of Archives, Kappa Alpha Theta Fraternity<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

One million dollars! At Kappa Alpha Theta\u2019s Grand Convention in 2016, National CASA\/GAL executives joined Theta leaders in celebrating the announcement of an unprecedented initiative: a three-year Theta Foundation campaign to raise $1 million for National CASA\/GAL.<\/p>\n

\u201cService is what ties all Thetas together; it\u2019s in our DNA,\u201d says Laura Ware Doerre<\/strong>, who was Fraternity president in 2016 and is an alumna of Theta\u2019s Delta Xi Chapter at the University of North Carolina. This dedication to service means that it is not simply Theta as an organization enthusiastically supporting National CASA\/GAL; it is also college chapters and alumnae groups working with state and local CASA\/GAL programs to help provide advocacy for vulnerable children.<\/p>\n

Yet only one in four children supported by CASA\/GAL programs has a Theta chapter or group in their community. That was the spark that ignited the $1 million National CASA\/GAL Initiative, a campaign to help provide National CASA\/GAL with resources to become evidence-based and ensure the best possible outcomes for children all over the United States, including those without a nearby Theta presence.<\/p>\n

Not only did the campaign conclude successfully\u2014and ahead of schedule\u2014it created unforeseen benefits. Taking this huge step to advance the CASA\/GAL mission, explains Mary Ellen Kutsenda Fitzsimonds<\/strong>, Theta Foundation president in 2016 and an alumna of Theta\u2019s Beta Kappa Chapter at Drake University, \u201chelped broaden the Fraternity\u2019s understanding of CASA programs\u2019 needs and how Thetas could engage with and support their efforts.\u201d<\/p>\n

Laura agrees. \u201cThe $1 million campaign for National CASA\/GAL was pivotal in the Theta and National CASA\/GAL relationship. It helped us understand each other\u2019s needs and capacities more deeply. The intangibles from this understanding will have long-reaching benefits.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018Change a Child\u2019s Story\u2019 sums up so beautifully what CASA programs do. We are changing the world one child at a time.\u201d <\/span><\/strong>\u2014Laura Ware Doerre<\/span><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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Celebrating Our Partnership<\/h2>\n\t\t
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30 Stories of Impact and Support<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tPrevious\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\tHome<\/a>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tNext\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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