About CASA

About CASA
CASA was founded as Community Against Substance Abuse in 1984 by two Los Gatos mothers, Joanne Rodgers and Jan Anderson, who were concerned about teenagers’ use of drugs and alcohol. Their intention was to teach kids that they don’t need to drink or use drugs to have a good time or to deal with troubling issues. CASA started out by organizing positive alternative activities for teens. Over its 23 year history, CASA has grown, but its present focus remains much the same.

CASA today is an alliance of parents of children from grades K-12, community organizations, schools, and local government leaders whose mission is “fostering healthy lifestyle choices that help young people resist alcohol and drugs.”

CASA monthly meetings are open for anyone to attend. During meetings, parents can hear directly from our community partners about resources and efforts geared to keeping our children safe from high risk behaviors, educational opportunities for parents, and upcoming organized teen activities. Police officers and principals share updates on events that have occurred in our schools and in town, allowing parents to ask questions and discuss current issues relating to our children. All parents are welcome to attend CASA monthly meetings where they’ll find the opportunity to network with other interested parents like themselves, and parents who are already involved in CASA.

CASA officers and volunteers develop new programs and activities annually in addition to those that currently exist. We hold alcohol and drug awareness events for middle school and older students, which also emphasize kids’ personal strengths and reasons for resisting these substances. CASA continues to sponsor fun, clean and sober social activities for teens including the annual fashion show production at the Los Gatos High School. Our programs for younger children focus on making healthy lifestyle choices, helping to build a foundation to deter hi-risk behavior in the future. CASA offers educational classes and speakers on specific topics so parents can obtain information that will help them make educated decisions while managing their children’s adolescent years.

Meetings
Monthly meetings are a forum for parents to learn about current youth issues directly from Los Gatos Police, school, town, and community representatives, connect with other parents, and find out what positive experiences are open to students of all ages.

Meetings are open to everyone and are held:
2nd Thursday of each month, September-May* 10-11:30 a.m.
Community Room on the Los Gatos High School Campus (click for map)
Refreshments are provided.
*April, 2008 meeting will be held on the first Thursday

Click to subscribe to monthly meeting reminder notices
Click to request an e-mail copy of the last meeting’s minutes

CASA Officers and Volunteers: CASA volunteers are Los Gatos parents who have children in grades K-12, former CASA chairs, and other supportive adults. They have been a think tank for creating and implementing CASA’s programs. They also participate in some school and community-wide functions, and represent CASA on various planning committees. CASA school champions serve as important liaisons between the organization and school sites. We are always open to new parent participation and ideas.

2007-2008 CASA officers and volunteers
CASA Chair: Faustine Comstock
Secretary & Chair Elect: Jacque Rider Greenley
Treasurer: Patty Horton
Parliamentarian: Vicki Thorburn
Community Liaison: Susan Kevorkian
Membership: Jennifer Unger
Publicity: Pam Ferguson
Parenting Continuum: Shari Flick
S.T.E.P. Instructor: Joanne Rodgers
Fashion Show Committee: Pearl Burns, Vicki Felock, Vicki Thorburn, Joanne Rodgers, Alyce Parsons, and Gayle Jones

CASA School Champions
Blossom Hill Elementary: Lisa Carroll
Daves Avenue Elementary: Anne Parsons, Michelle Varrin
Lexington Elementary: Open
Van Meter Elementary: Pam Abaci, Kimberly Leonard
Lakeside Elementary: Bob Crisman
St. Mary’s School: Open
Fisher Middle School: Susan Kevorkian
C.T. English Middle School: Julie Bourque
Los Gatos High School: Vicki Thorburn

CASA History
CASA was formed in 1984 as Community Against Substance Abuse by a small group of parents in response to a growing concern over the use of drugs by teenagers and the associated harm. CASA has grown into a respected and effective volunteer organization that draws extensive resources from the community including parents, students, merchants, town government officials, school administrators, police, and health care professionals. The Board usually had 20-30 members representing a diverse cross section of our community. In 1991, CASA was named the “Best Community Organization” in Los Gatos by the local Weekly Times paper.

It is CASA’s mission to encourage and support young people in substance-free decisions. Education is an important part of this process. CASA encouraged the implementation of Quest’s Skills for Adolescence at Fisher for 8th graders. CASA was responsible for researching and raising funds for the curriculum, materials, and teacher training for “Here’s Looking at You, 2000” a self esteem/substance abuse course in five elementary schools. Each year, CASA brings speakers to our schools and community including David Toma, Jack Canfield, Michael Pritchard, and Tom Flick, all providing positive drug-free messages, self esteem, and goal setting skills. CASA sent students and adults to important conferences such as PRIDE (Parents Resource Institute for Drug Education,) the largest conference of its kind in the world, CADFY (California for Drug-free Youth,) and Teenwork. Handbooks have been produced and a monthly newsletter, the CASA Column, was distributed to 2500 households.

Programs for parents are designed to give support and promote networking. Each year, CASA offers STEP classes (Systematic Training for Effective Parenting) to assist in the development of parenting skills. Over 300 parents have “graduated,” and as one parent said, “I’m not in the dark anymore about how to respond to my teen. STEP was invaluable in providing tools for understanding and responding to my teen’s behavior.”

Positive alternative activities, programs designed to promote leadership, self esteem and fun that can be had without the use of substances, run throughout the year. They’ve included such things as 6th grade social dance classes, ski trips, and a student produced fashion production. CASA worked diligently with a Santa Clara County steering committee to bring Friday Night Live, a youth driven program to prevent alcohol and other drug use among teenagers, to our area. We began a chapter at Los Gatos High School in 1992 where membership grew from 8 to 100. Club Live, the middle school equivalent of Friday Night Live, also began in 1992 and is supported by CASA.

CASA has taken the responsibility for the promotion of Red Ribbon Week and Drug Awareness Week in our schools and community. Gym Jam, a free community-wide party which drew 3,000 people, occurred each spring as families celebrated the commitment to substance-free fun.

CASA maintains a close relationship with other organizations in Los Gatos concerned with young people. A Place for Teens, which developed a local teen center, had its roots in CASA and we continue to provide support, financial and otherwise. The Teen & Family Counseling Center and Triad Community Services provided counseling services for students and their families and support groups within the schools. CASA was influential in establishing these school-based programs. CASA has provided 10% of the budget for the Teen & Family Counseling Center and a portion of the costs for support groups. CASA is represented on the Drug Free Community Coordinating Committee (DFCCC), which was established in our community in 1991 by our police chief under direction from then Attorney General Dan Lundgren. CASA was honored at the Los Gatos Police recognition luncheon for community service in 1992.

The effectiveness of CASA in the Los Gatos community has been noted and our organization has served as a model for development of other CASA organizations in Saratoga, Danville, and Carmel. As Margaret Mead said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”




	About CASA Meetings 2007 - 2008 CASA officers and volunteers CASA School Champions CASA History Contact Us		About CASA CASA was founded as Community Against Substance Abuse in 1984 by two Los Gatos mothers, Joanne Rodgers and Jan Anderson, who were concerned about teenagers’ use of drugs and alcohol. Their intention was to teach kids that they don’t need to drink or use drugs to have a good time or to deal with troubling issues. CASA started out by organizing positive alternative activities for teens. Over its 23 year history, CASA has grown, but its present focus remains much the same. CASA today is an alliance of parents of children from grades K-12, community organizations, schools, and local government leaders whose mission is “fostering healthy lifestyle choices that help young people resist alcohol and drugs.” CASA monthly meetings are open for anyone to attend. During meetings, parents can hear directly from our community partners about resources and efforts geared to keeping our children safe from high risk behaviors, educational opportunities for parents, and upcoming organized teen activities. Police officers and principals share updates on events that have occurred in our schools and in town, allowing parents to ask questions and discuss current issues relating to our children. All parents are welcome to attend CASA monthly meetings where they’ll find the opportunity to network with other interested parents like themselves, and parents who are already involved in CASA. CASA officers and volunteers develop new programs and activities annually in addition to those that currently exist. We hold alcohol and drug awareness events for middle school and older students, which also emphasize kids’ personal strengths and reasons for resisting these substances. CASA continues to sponsor fun, clean and sober social activities for teens including the annual fashion show production at the Los Gatos High School. Our programs for younger children focus on making healthy lifestyle choices, helping to build a foundation to deter hi-risk behavior in the future. CASA offers educational classes and speakers on specific topics so parents can obtain information that will help them make educated decisions while managing their children’s adolescent years. back to top Meetings Monthly meetings are a forum for parents to learn about current youth issues directly from Los Gatos Police, school, town, and community representatives, connect with other parents, and find out what positive experiences are open to students of all ages. Meetings are open to everyone and are held: 2nd Thursday of each month, September-May* 10-11:30 a.m. Community Room on the Los Gatos High School Campus (click for map) Refreshments are provided. April, 2008 meeting will be held on the first Thursday Click to subscribe to monthly meeting reminder notices Click to request an e-mail copy of the last meeting’s minutes CASA Officers and Volunteers: CASA volunteers are Los Gatos parents who have children in grades K-12, former CASA chairs, and other supportive adults. They have been a think tank for creating and implementing CASA’s programs. They also participate in some school and community-wide functions, and represent CASA on various planning committees. CASA school champions serve as important liaisons between the organization and school sites. We are always open to new parent participation and ideas. back to top 2007-2008 CASA officers and volunteers CASA Chair:* Faustine Comstock Secretary & Chair Elect: Jacque Rider Greenley Treasurer: Patty Horton Parliamentarian: Vicki Thorburn Community Liaison: Susan Kevorkian Membership: Jennifer Unger Publicity: Pam Ferguson Parenting Continuum: Shari Flick S.T.E.P. Instructor: Joanne Rodgers Fashion Show Committee: Pearl Burns, Vicki Felock, Vicki Thorburn, Joanne Rodgers, Alyce Parsons, and Gayle Jones back to top CASA School Champions Blossom Hill Elementary: Lisa Carroll Daves Avenue Elementary: Anne Parsons, Michelle Varrin Lexington Elementary: Open Van Meter Elementary: Pam Abaci, Kimberly Leonard Lakeside Elementary: Bob Crisman St. Mary’s School: Open Fisher Middle School: Susan Kevorkian C.T. English Middle School: Julie Bourque Los Gatos High School: Vicki Thorburn back to top CASA History CASA was formed in 1984 as Community Against Substance Abuse by a small group of parents in response to a growing concern over the use of drugs by teenagers and the associated harm. CASA has grown into a respected and effective volunteer organization that draws extensive resources from the community including parents, students, merchants, town government officials, school administrators, police, and health care professionals. The Board usually had 20-30 members representing a diverse cross section of our community. In 1991, CASA was named the “Best Community Organization” in Los Gatos by the local Weekly Times paper. It is CASA’s mission to encourage and support young people in substance-free decisions. Education is an important part of this process. CASA encouraged the implementation of Quest’s Skills for Adolescence at Fisher for 8th graders. CASA was responsible for researching and raising funds for the curriculum, materials, and teacher training for “Here’s Looking at You, 2000” a self esteem/substance abuse course in five elementary schools. Each year, CASA brings speakers to our schools and community including David Toma, Jack Canfield, Michael Pritchard, and Tom Flick, all providing positive drug-free messages, self esteem, and goal setting skills. CASA sent students and adults to important conferences such as PRIDE (Parents Resource Institute for Drug Education,) the largest conference of its kind in the world, CADFY (California for Drug-free Youth,) and Teenwork. Handbooks have been produced and a monthly newsletter, the CASA Column, was distributed to 2500 households. Programs for parents are designed to give support and promote networking. Each year, CASA offers STEP classes (Systematic Training for Effective Parenting) to assist in the development of parenting skills. Over 300 parents have “graduated,” and as one parent said, “I’m not in the dark anymore about how to respond to my teen. STEP was invaluable in providing tools for understanding and responding to my teen’s behavior.” Positive alternative activities, programs designed to promote leadership, self esteem and fun that can be had without the use of substances, run throughout the year. They’ve included such things as 6th grade social dance classes, ski trips, and a student produced fashion production. CASA worked diligently with a Santa Clara County steering committee to bring Friday Night Live, a youth driven program to prevent alcohol and other drug use among teenagers, to our area. We began a chapter at Los Gatos High School in 1992 where membership grew from 8 to 100. Club Live, the middle school equivalent of Friday Night Live, also began in 1992 and is supported by CASA. CASA has taken the responsibility for the promotion of Red Ribbon Week and Drug Awareness Week in our schools and community. Gym Jam, a free community-wide party which drew 3,000 people, occurred each spring as families celebrated the commitment to substance-free fun. CASA maintains a close relationship with other organizations in Los Gatos concerned with young people. A Place for Teens, which developed a local teen center, had its roots in CASA and we continue to provide support, financial and otherwise. The Teen & Family Counseling Center and Triad Community Services provided counseling services for students and their families and support groups within the schools. CASA was influential in establishing these school-based programs. CASA has provided 10% of the budget for the Teen & Family Counseling Center and a portion of the costs for support groups. CASA is represented on the Drug Free Community Coordinating Committee (DFCCC), which was established in our community in 1991 by our police chief under direction from then Attorney General Dan Lundgren. CASA was honored at the Los Gatos Police recognition luncheon for community service in 1992. The effectiveness of CASA in the Los Gatos community has been noted and our organization has served as a model for development of other CASA organizations in Saratoga, Danville, and Carmel. As Margaret Mead said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” back to top