Dear friends,
As we move into May and begin to bring focus to National Foster Care Month, we want to first take the time to spotlight Texas CASA CEO, Vicki Spriggs, and the huge impact she has made in promoting a safer, more fruitful future for children and families experiencing the foster care system.
Vicki has worked for almost 50 years in the child services arena. Known for her leadership on youth-related issues, Vicki is a national speaker, a decisive leader and a fierce believer in the rights of all children, especially the right to a safe, loving and permanent home. Before joining Texas CASA in January 2012, Vicki served in a variety of positions dedicated to child welfare, including as a foster parent, director of the Travis County Juvenile Court Informal Adjustment unit and executive director at Texas Juvenile Probation Commission. She received a bachelor’s degree in education and a Master of Education in juvenile justice and secondary counseling from the University of Massachusetts.
The majority of Vicki’s professional development was in the juvenile probation arena. As she grew into her profession, it became evident to her that many of the children in the juvenile probation system were children who had experienced foster care, and along with that, many adverse childhood experiences. “The children in foster care have had so many things – so many opportunities – taken from them due to no fault of their own; but a dedicated, well-trained CASA volunteer has the opportunity to step in, speak up and make a real difference for them during this critical turning point in their lives,” Vicki states. Over the course of her career at Texas CASA, Vicki feels her biggest rewards have been supporting and growing with her staff, creating family-first environments and supporting legislation to advance children’s rights in the state’s foster care system.
We are honored to announce that Spriggs celebrated 12 years at Texas CASA this past January, the same year we celebrate Texas CASA’s 35th anniversary! Over the past 35 years and with Spriggs at the helm for the last 12 years, Texas CASA achieved significant milestones, expanding its reach and impact across the state. The organization has played a crucial role by providing resources to train and recruit thousands of volunteers, ensuring that more children have their voices heard in court proceedings. Learn more about the good work of Texas CASA during our Foster Care Month campaign this month.
National Foster Care Month is a time when we raise awareness of the over 368,000 children in foster care across the country and the need to support them. More than 31,000 of these children are right here in Texas. This year’s National Foster Care Month campaign is Engaging Youth. Building Supports. Strengthening Opportunities. and it focuses on raising awareness for helping youth leave care with strengthened relationships, holistic supports and opportunities. Did you know that approximately 18,000 youth age out of the foster care system each year without a permanent family? Studies show that youth who emancipate from foster care without permanent connections are at increased risk for adverse outcomes in adulthood. To help local CASA programs focus on trauma-informed ways of building connections for youth, Texas CASA developed a new resource page dedicated to advocating for older youth through a Collaborative Family Engagement (CFE) lens. The page includes a timeline of resources and tasks broken out by age groups, as well as permanency planning information and best practices. We encourage you to dive into this resource and check out the others in the Texas CASA Learning Center to learn more. Together, we can make a difference!
All my best,
