Advocate Spotlight: Ariane Pupali

Meet Ariane Pupali, the October Advocate Spotlight for 2022. Ariane is one of those special people who recognizes a need in her community and asks how can she help. She was aware that some of our most vulnerable population, our at-risk youth, needed a voice and she decided to contact CASA after seeing a television commercial regarding advocacy.

Ariane began advocating at CASA of Luzerne County in 2020. Although she has a full time career and two children of her own she knew it was important for her to give something back through advocacy.

She realized she had the skill set, compassion and interest to make a small difference but most of all she had the desire to serve.

Ariane is reflective of the most eye opening part of her advocacy, which is reviewing a child’s case file. It is so impactful to absorb what they have been through and the magnitude of trauma and adversity they have faced. She feels as though the most positive outcome for the children she has advocated for is helping build their resilience and advocating for their safety and best interest.

When asked what advice she would give to potential advocates, Ariane stresses to, “Just do it!”. She was quick to follow up with how the reward far outweighs the commitments and sacrifice.

Ariane would like to express how valuable the training is that CASA advocates receive and how prepared it makes you feel. She would also like to note that you receive so much support from the advocate coordinators that you are never alone on your journey.

She believes the most important part of being an advocate is showing up for children who are accustomed to being abused and neglected and reminding them of their value and restoring their trust.

Ariane is humbled and full of gratitude to be a part of such a beautiful organization.

We are grateful to Ariane for her commitment to her advocacy and commitment to her community. If you’d like to make a difference in the life of a child in the way Ariane has, we invite you to join us for an info session to learn more about advocacy and what it means to be a CASA.

Ariane lives in West Pittston with her children, Nora(6) and Noah(14) and her Yorkie named Chewy. She has a BBA in Architectural Design and is employed by InPro Corporation.

What's Happening at CASA of Luzerne County? July-September 2022

CASA of Luzerne County had a busy and productive summer. Here are some highlights. We hope to see you at one of our upcoming events or in an information session!

Action in Advocacy!

Our CASA advocates have been moving our youth to safe and stable permanency.

We are in need of some additional advocates to help us advocate for the children in the Luzerne County dependency court system who desperately need a voice. There are multiple information sessions scheduled both in person and virtually and our next training session will begin on March 7th 2023. If you have been considering becoming an advocate there is no time like the present. We have information sessions scheduled for November 7, December 2nd, December 12th, December 21st, January 11th and January 24th with more to follow in February. Please visit our website at luzernecasa.org for more information or call the office at 570-855-2247.

PA Judge’s Conference

Our Executive Director had the honor of presenting at the Pennsylvania Conference of State Trial Judges in Hershey, PA.

Mary Kay, along with the Executive Directors of CASA of Philadelphia County and CASA of Alleghany County and a representative from PA CASA spoke to Judges in Pennsylvania about the importance of having a CASA program in their county. PA CASA is working to ensure that every county in Pennsylvania has a CASA program and Luzerne County is honored to be a part of spreading that message.

CASA in the Community

CASA of Luzerne County hosted PA CASA and a group of CASA Executive Directors from across the region who are all a part of the Trauma Informed Advocacy Pilot supported by a grant from the AllOne Foundation. We spent the day discussing the exciting advancements in volunteer advocacy and the benefit to the children we serve. We were also able to take a moment to be mindful and learn some techniques from Mara Morell, co-owner of Mrida Seva Yoga & Holistic Wellness in Berwick.

The Mercy Foundation has provided CASA of Luzerne County with a grant to bring our youth resiliency programing through art and writing. We held our first two sessions in August. The first session was in conjunction with the Independent Living Group at Luzerne County CYS. We discussed poetry and rap music and the way writing can be a healthy expression of feelings. NEPA Street Art Society joined us for the second session. Our youth visited a muralist who was in the process of painting a mural in Forty Fort. The youth and advocates were able ask him questions about his process and how when he is told “No”, how he is able to start again until he gets a “Yes”. The youth then went to the nearby park and created art based on the mural they saw. Look forward to much more regarding this program and all of the interesting people our youth is meeting along this journey.

The Crestwood Key Club gave CASA of Luzerne County a donation of books for children of all ages for the CASAclubhouse as well as a monetary donation that went into the Annie Ellis Fund for resiliency activities for our youth. Thank you to these special kids who care about the children in our community!

The Pittston Walmart provided our youth with a generous donation of back to school supplies. The youth were able to come into the CASAclubhouse for a shopping experience for supplies, clothing from our CASA Closet as well as books from our library. The employees at the Pittston Walmart were an incredible help making sure we got what we needed and that we were able to get it all into our vehicle! We love our community partners.

Grief Camp at the Lands at Hillside Farms hosted CASA week at camp. 19 of our children were supported through a week of processing trauma, using healthy coping skills and building resiliency. Thank you to the staff at Hillside Farms led by Suzanne Kapral, the CASA staff and the CASA advocates who volunteered their time for the week. The children had a beautiful butterfly release that culminated a week of fun and hard work. It is a humbling experience to be a part of such a lovely program. We can’t wait to be a part of it again next year.

Getting the word out about CASA…..

CASA of Luzerne County had many opportunities to get the word out about our mission this summer. We were the “Community Organization of the Game” at a Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Rail Riders game in August. Mary Kay was given the opportunity to throw out the first pitch and CASA also used this opportunity as an Advocate Appreciation Event. Many of our CASA volunteers came out to the game with their families and everyone had a great time.

We also had a table at the Luzerne County Cares Community Expo. We had the opportunity to talk to many of our community partners and shed light on on all of the work our advocates do to help the youth we serve move forward in a healthy and happy way.

CASA had a table at the first hole of the Brandon’s Forever Home Golf Tournament. We were able to spread the word of advocacy and the understanding that it truly does take a village to support some of our most vulnerable youth.

The Downtown Artistic Forum invited us to speak to members of the arts community about our Art and Writing program and get the word out that we are looking for volunteers to give an hour of their time to give our youth experiences that will lead to better coping skills and a better understanding of what our community has to offer them.

Penn State Wilkes-Barre invited CASA to speak to students about advocacy for the child welfare system and internship opportunities at CASA of Luzerne County. We left the group feeling energized by their interest, care and concern for children in the dependency court system.

Successes!

Susquehanna Brewing Company was the site of our July fundraiser for Shop with a Cop. We had a “CASA Hawaiian Holiday” theme. So many community businesses provided us with basket raffle items and gift cards. It was a wonderful celebration in preparation for our collaboration with the Pennsylvania State Police and the city of Pittston for this years Shop with a Cop event for our youth. We raised $1500 for gifts for our children. We had a beautiful evening with our wonderful supporters.

CASAblanca 2022

The Luzerne County Courthouse was the backdrop for this years CASAblanca Gala on September 22, 2022. The most magnificent location for our most successful fundraiser to date. M&T Bank was once again our Hero of Hope sponsor and they led the way for so many other community sponsors to make this an unforgettable event to support our advocates and the youth of CASA of Luzerne County. Our tireless CASAblanca Committee led by Ruth Corcoran and Lake Gemzik created a magical evening reminiscent of Rick’s café in Morocco with beautiful piano music filling the room played by the talented Christine Leandri. CASA of Luzerne County is thankful for everyone who sponsored, donated to and attended our event. Our advocates and our mission were well supported on that beautiful night.

Upcoming Events

To finish out the year CASA of Luzerne County will be participating in Giving Tuesday on November 29, 2022. Giving Tuesday is a wonderful way to give to our mission at a time we are feeling most thankful for all we have. Please keep an eye on our Facebook page and website for more information on Giving Tuesday. Every bit donated goes into supporting the volunteer advocates who give a voice to our children in the dependency court system in Luzerne County. Thank you for choosing us!

Wrapping up…….

CASA of Luzerne County continues to recruit, train and support volunteer child advocates to give a voice and a future story to the children in the Luzerne County Court System. Please call if you are interested in becoming an advocate or joining one of our committees that support our organization. Call 570-855-2247 or email office@luzernecasa.org and we will contact you.

Thank you for your ongoing support and interest in CASA of Luzerne County.