{"id":5836,"date":"2025-05-28T09:15:00","date_gmt":"2025-05-28T12:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nationalcasagal.org\/?p=5836"},"modified":"2025-05-30T17:57:46","modified_gmt":"2025-05-30T20:57:46","slug":"child-advocate-and-author-joan-ulsher-inspires-book-club-forum-with-story-of-strength-and-survival","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nationalcasagal.org\/child-advocate-and-author-joan-ulsher-inspires-book-club-forum-with-story-of-strength-and-survival\/","title":{"rendered":"Child advocate and author, Joan Ulsher, inspires book club forum with story of strength and survival"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

May 28, 2025<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t

Child advocate and author, Joan Ulsher, inspires book club forum with story of strength and survival<\/h2>\n\t\t

\"\"The National CASA\/GAL Network Author Book Series offers CASA\/GAL volunteers and staff a unique opportunity to deepen their understanding of the challenges facing children and families in the child welfare and court systems. Through powerful literary works from authors affiliated with CASA\/GAL organizations, we foster connection, shared learning, and a stronger sense of community within our network.<\/p>\n

The second book in our Network Author Book Series was Misplaced Childhood: A True Story of Resiliency and Child Advocacy<\/strong><\/em>. Winner of 20 international and national awards in 2024, Misplaced Childhood<\/em> by Joan Ulsher, a CASA volunteer with Child Advocates San Antonio, is a moving memoir of survival, resilience, and advocacy. Ulsher shares her inspiring journey of overcoming poverty, child abuse, and foster care, ultimately finding purpose through her military service, faith and advocacy.<\/p>\n

Ulsher\u2019s story is a testament to the power of perseverance and the impact of lived experience in championing child advocacy.<\/p>\n

\"\"On May 27, National CASA\/GAL hosted Ulsher for an Author\u2019s Forum. The Forum was a wonderful combination of information and inspiration. Misplaced Childhood<\/em> chronicles her powerful journey to overcome her tragic past and use her lived experience to inspire others. Her transformational journey of survival and triumph ultimately leads her to become a fierce advocate for children through Child Advocates San Antonio. Like her book, the forum was approached with great transparency and empathy along with a good amount of sage advice for CASA\/GAL volunteers and staff.<\/p>\n

We greatly appreciate Joan Ulsher bringing her book to the CASA\/GAL network and look forward to future Network Author Book Series\u2019 offerings.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Read More…<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":5838,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":true,"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5836","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nChild advocate, Joan Ulsher, inspires book club participants<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"On May 27, National CASA\/GAL hosted Joan Ulsher for an Author\u2019s Forum to discuss Misplaced Childhood\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nationalcasagal.org\/child-advocate-and-author-joan-ulsher-inspires-book-club-forum-with-story-of-strength-and-survival\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Child advocate, Joan Ulsher, inspires book club participants\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"On May 27, National CASA\/GAL hosted Joan Ulsher for an Author\u2019s Forum to discuss Misplaced Childhood\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/nationalcasagal.org\/child-advocate-and-author-joan-ulsher-inspires-book-club-forum-with-story-of-strength-and-survival\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"National CASA\/GAL Association for Children\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/NationalCASAGAL\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-05-28T12:15:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-05-30T20:57:46+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/nationalcasagal.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/BookClub_MisplacedChildhood_blog_-1440x690_.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1440\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"690\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"laurenl@nationalcasagal.org\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@NationalCASAGAL\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@NationalCASAGAL\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"laurenl@nationalcasagal.org\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nationalcasagal.org\/child-advocate-and-author-joan-ulsher-inspires-book-club-forum-with-story-of-strength-and-survival\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nationalcasagal.org\/child-advocate-and-author-joan-ulsher-inspires-book-club-forum-with-story-of-strength-and-survival\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"laurenl@nationalcasagal.org\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nationalcasagal.org\/#\/schema\/person\/35608438bb29d0ca1fb3e3da27258bf5\"},\"headline\":\"Child advocate and author, Joan Ulsher, inspires book club forum with story of strength and survival\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-05-28T12:15:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-05-30T20:57:46+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nationalcasagal.org\/child-advocate-and-author-joan-ulsher-inspires-book-club-forum-with-story-of-strength-and-survival\/\"},\"wordCount\":16,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nationalcasagal.org\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nationalcasagal.org\/child-advocate-and-author-joan-ulsher-inspires-book-club-forum-with-story-of-strength-and-survival\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/nationalcasagal.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/BookClub_MisplacedChildhood_blog_-1440x690_.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nationalcasagal.org\/child-advocate-and-author-joan-ulsher-inspires-book-club-forum-with-story-of-strength-and-survival\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/nationalcasagal.org\/child-advocate-and-author-joan-ulsher-inspires-book-club-forum-with-story-of-strength-and-survival\/\",\"name\":\"Child advocate, Joan Ulsher, inspires book club participants\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nationalcasagal.org\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nationalcasagal.org\/child-advocate-and-author-joan-ulsher-inspires-book-club-forum-with-story-of-strength-and-survival\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nationalcasagal.org\/child-advocate-and-author-joan-ulsher-inspires-book-club-forum-with-story-of-strength-and-survival\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/nationalcasagal.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/BookClub_MisplacedChildhood_blog_-1440x690_.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-05-28T12:15:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-05-30T20:57:46+00:00\",\"description\":\"On May 27, National CASA\/GAL hosted Joan Ulsher for an Author\u2019s Forum to discuss Misplaced Childhood\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nationalcasagal.org\/child-advocate-and-author-joan-ulsher-inspires-book-club-forum-with-story-of-strength-and-survival\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/nationalcasagal.org\/child-advocate-and-author-joan-ulsher-inspires-book-club-forum-with-story-of-strength-and-survival\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nationalcasagal.org\/child-advocate-and-author-joan-ulsher-inspires-book-club-forum-with-story-of-strength-and-survival\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/nationalcasagal.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/BookClub_MisplacedChildhood_blog_-1440x690_.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/nationalcasagal.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/BookClub_MisplacedChildhood_blog_-1440x690_.jpg\",\"width\":1440,\"height\":690},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nationalcasagal.org\/child-advocate-and-author-joan-ulsher-inspires-book-club-forum-with-story-of-strength-and-survival\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/nationalcasagal.org\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Child advocate and author, Joan Ulsher, inspires book club forum with story of strength and survival\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nationalcasagal.org\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/nationalcasagal.org\/\",\"name\":\"National CASA\/GAL Association for Children\",\"description\":\"Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) \/ Guardians ad Litem (GAL)\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nationalcasagal.org\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/nationalcasagal.org\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nationalcasagal.org\/#organization\",\"name\":\"National CASA\/GAL Association for Children\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/nationalcasagal.org\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nationalcasagal.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/nationalcasagal.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/casagal_redblue.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/nationalcasagal.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/casagal_redblue.png\",\"width\":712,\"height\":526,\"caption\":\"National CASA\/GAL Association for Children\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nationalcasagal.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/NationalCASAGAL\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/NationalCASAGAL\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/nationalcasagal\/\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/national-casa-gal-association\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/c\/NationalCASAGALAssociationforChildren\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nationalcasagal.org\/#\/schema\/person\/35608438bb29d0ca1fb3e3da27258bf5\",\"name\":\"laurenl@nationalcasagal.org\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nationalcasagal.org\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4cf0f625fa37f27b89f61077ea3f440e201ea7c270f7ae1fc346d6dfacc29ece?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4cf0f625fa37f27b89f61077ea3f440e201ea7c270f7ae1fc346d6dfacc29ece?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"laurenl@nationalcasagal.org\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/nationalcasagal.org\/author\/laurenlcasaforchildren-org\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Child advocate, Joan Ulsher, inspires book club participants","description":"On May 27, National CASA\/GAL hosted Joan Ulsher for an Author\u2019s Forum to discuss Misplaced Childhood","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/nationalcasagal.org\/child-advocate-and-author-joan-ulsher-inspires-book-club-forum-with-story-of-strength-and-survival\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Child advocate, Joan Ulsher, inspires book club participants","og_description":"On May 27, National CASA\/GAL hosted Joan Ulsher for an Author\u2019s Forum to discuss Misplaced Childhood","og_url":"https:\/\/nationalcasagal.org\/child-advocate-and-author-joan-ulsher-inspires-book-club-forum-with-story-of-strength-and-survival\/","og_site_name":"National CASA\/GAL Association for Children","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/NationalCASAGAL\/","article_published_time":"2025-05-28T12:15:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-05-30T20:57:46+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1440,"height":690,"url":"https:\/\/nationalcasagal.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/BookClub_MisplacedChildhood_blog_-1440x690_.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"laurenl@nationalcasagal.org","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@NationalCASAGAL","twitter_site":"@NationalCASAGAL","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"laurenl@nationalcasagal.org","Est. reading time":"1 minute"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/nationalcasagal.org\/child-advocate-and-author-joan-ulsher-inspires-book-club-forum-with-story-of-strength-and-survival\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/nationalcasagal.org\/child-advocate-and-author-joan-ulsher-inspires-book-club-forum-with-story-of-strength-and-survival\/"},"author":{"name":"laurenl@nationalcasagal.org","@id":"https:\/\/nationalcasagal.org\/#\/schema\/person\/35608438bb29d0ca1fb3e3da27258bf5"},"headline":"Child advocate and author, Joan Ulsher, inspires book club forum with story of strength and survival","datePublished":"2025-05-28T12:15:00+00:00","dateModified":"2025-05-30T20:57:46+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/nationalcasagal.org\/child-advocate-and-author-joan-ulsher-inspires-book-club-forum-with-story-of-strength-and-survival\/"},"wordCount":16,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/nationalcasagal.org\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/nationalcasagal.org\/child-advocate-and-author-joan-ulsher-inspires-book-club-forum-with-story-of-strength-and-survival\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/nationalcasagal.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/BookClub_MisplacedChildhood_blog_-1440x690_.jpg","articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/nationalcasagal.org\/child-advocate-and-author-joan-ulsher-inspires-book-club-forum-with-story-of-strength-and-survival\/","url":"https:\/\/nationalcasagal.org\/child-advocate-and-author-joan-ulsher-inspires-book-club-forum-with-story-of-strength-and-survival\/","name":"Child advocate, Joan Ulsher, inspires book club participants","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/nationalcasagal.org\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/nationalcasagal.org\/child-advocate-and-author-joan-ulsher-inspires-book-club-forum-with-story-of-strength-and-survival\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/nationalcasagal.org\/child-advocate-and-author-joan-ulsher-inspires-book-club-forum-with-story-of-strength-and-survival\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/nationalcasagal.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/BookClub_MisplacedChildhood_blog_-1440x690_.jpg","datePublished":"2025-05-28T12:15:00+00:00","dateModified":"2025-05-30T20:57:46+00:00","description":"On May 27, National CASA\/GAL hosted Joan Ulsher for an Author\u2019s Forum to discuss Misplaced Childhood","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/nationalcasagal.org\/child-advocate-and-author-joan-ulsher-inspires-book-club-forum-with-story-of-strength-and-survival\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/nationalcasagal.org\/child-advocate-and-author-joan-ulsher-inspires-book-club-forum-with-story-of-strength-and-survival\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/nationalcasagal.org\/child-advocate-and-author-joan-ulsher-inspires-book-club-forum-with-story-of-strength-and-survival\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/nationalcasagal.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/BookClub_MisplacedChildhood_blog_-1440x690_.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/nationalcasagal.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/BookClub_MisplacedChildhood_blog_-1440x690_.jpg","width":1440,"height":690},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/nationalcasagal.org\/child-advocate-and-author-joan-ulsher-inspires-book-club-forum-with-story-of-strength-and-survival\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/nationalcasagal.org\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Child advocate and author, Joan Ulsher, inspires book club forum with story of strength and survival"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/nationalcasagal.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/nationalcasagal.org\/","name":"National CASA\/GAL Association for Children","description":"Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) \/ Guardians ad Litem (GAL)","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/nationalcasagal.org\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/nationalcasagal.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/nationalcasagal.org\/#organization","name":"National CASA\/GAL Association for Children","url":"https:\/\/nationalcasagal.org\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/nationalcasagal.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/nationalcasagal.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/casagal_redblue.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/nationalcasagal.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/casagal_redblue.png","width":712,"height":526,"caption":"National CASA\/GAL Association for Children"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/nationalcasagal.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/NationalCASAGAL\/","https:\/\/x.com\/NationalCASAGAL","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/nationalcasagal\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/national-casa-gal-association","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/c\/NationalCASAGALAssociationforChildren"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/nationalcasagal.org\/#\/schema\/person\/35608438bb29d0ca1fb3e3da27258bf5","name":"laurenl@nationalcasagal.org","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/nationalcasagal.org\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4cf0f625fa37f27b89f61077ea3f440e201ea7c270f7ae1fc346d6dfacc29ece?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4cf0f625fa37f27b89f61077ea3f440e201ea7c270f7ae1fc346d6dfacc29ece?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"laurenl@nationalcasagal.org"},"url":"https:\/\/nationalcasagal.org\/author\/laurenlcasaforchildren-org\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nationalcasagal.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5836","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nationalcasagal.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nationalcasagal.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nationalcasagal.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nationalcasagal.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5836"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nationalcasagal.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5836\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nationalcasagal.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5838"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nationalcasagal.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5836"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nationalcasagal.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5836"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nationalcasagal.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5836"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}