Fun Facts About Our New CEO!

Special Edition Legacy Book Is Here!

We are excited to share our 25^th Anniversary Legacy Book with you! The free digital edition is now available online. We hope you – our incredible community of supporters – enjoy this commemorative publication capturing twenty five years of providing hope and help to our community. Without the vision of our founders, support of our donors, help of our volunteers, and dedication of our staff, the dream of Casa Pacifica would have never been realized. And more importantly, the 42,500 children and youth Casa Pacifica has helped over the last 25 years would have potentially never received critical services, providing the foundation for a better life.

As we close a quarter century of service, we are overwhelmed with gratitude. We look forward to the next 25 years and seeing what we can accomplish together!

Special thanks to Casa Pacifica’s 25th Anniversary Legacy Book sponsors and advertisers who made this publication possible. To Henry Dubroff, Linda le Brock, Cory Yniguez, and Tony Biasotti, thank you for all your hard work and guidance on this project.

View our 25th Anniversary Legacy Book

Getting To Know Our New CEO

Our new CEO, Shawna Morris started this week and we couldn’t be more excited!

We know everyone is as anxious as we are to get to know her so we thought we’d ask her a few fun questions and share her answers. We look forward to introducing Shawna to our amazing Casa Pacifica family when we can all be together again.

What would the title of your autobiography be and why?
Beyond Imagination. Growing up in Kansas, I had a great imagination and today my life is beyond what I imagined it could be.

One word that describes you best.
Curious.

What’s a song you always sing along to?
National Anthem.

What are some things outside of work that you’re irrationally passionate about?
Health & fitness, University of Kansas basketball and my family.

If you could redesign the food pyramid without any dire health consequences what would it look like?
Dark Chocolate, Bread, Cheese and Fish Tacos.

What would your pet say about you if we asked for a reference?
I get them up too early, I give them the best ear and belly rubs and we never miss our special walks.

If you could have one superpower what would it be and how would you leverage it?
Time Travel. Today I would use it to address the COVID-19 pandemic.

If you could choose your last meal, what would it be?
Ceviche & crispy calamari from Lure and fish tacos from Spencer Makenzie and my mom’s butterscotch pie.

What makes you laugh?
Life!

What would you do with 15 minutes of fame?
Let everyone know about the great work we are doing at Casa Pacifica.

Shawna’s first few weeks are already booked solid between new hire trainings and meetings. (Pictured left) Dr. Paul Baker, developer of the PersonBrain Model, Shawna, and Director of Training James Freeman in The PersonBrain Model training. The PersonBrain Model is a strength-based training program for working with challenging youth. All Casa Pacifica direct-care staff are required to take the two-day training, designed to equip them to “Relate well…react less!”

“Thank you for the warm welcome – it is just great to be on the team and learning more about the outstanding work we do every day. I am looking forward to meeting you all in the next couple weeks
– see you in the (Zoom) squares!”
– Shawna

An Eventful Journey

Jasmine came to Casa Pacifica at the age of 14 after several other unsuccessful residential treatment placements. In her young life, she had suffered a tremendous amount of abuse and lived in an extremely chaotic environment, which had caused her to have a lot of aggression and various other difficulties. During her year at Casa Pacifica, she struggled with unrest and rebelled continuously. She had a hard time adjusting to the interpersonal dynamics that existed and would lash out. A few of her outbursts led to her spending a month in juvenile detention.

During her time in detention, Jasmine realized the care and support she received at Casa Pacifica and reached out to her clinician and cottage supervisor. She wrote letters expressing her appreciation and how much she wanted to continue her stay at Casa Pacifica. She said she really loved Casa Pacifica and wanted to graduate the program. Jasmine’s care team advocated for her to return to Casa Pacifica once her time in detention was served and the request was granted. Once Jasmine returned to campus, staff saw a tremendous change in her behavior.

Throughout the months after her return to Casa Pacifica, Jasmine progressed and became more of a leader in the program, despite her young age. She said she felt accepted and learned different ways of expressing her emotions. Her transformation led her to excel in school. Upon graduation she was able to transition out to a foster home and continues to thrive and develop positive relationships with her family.

Long before there was a COVID crisis,
there was a children’s mental health crisis.
Donate today to ensure youth like Jasmine will continue receiving
critical mental health care services through Casa Pacifica.

Their future depends on it.

Donate now!

Youth Art Gallery

As part of our Casa Pacifica summer arts class our youth recently made dream catchers. Originally made by North American Indians the kids used wood sticks, paint, yarn and beads to create the “webs” believed to create good dreams. The kids also studied the works of Vincent Van Gogh and recreated his famous painting Starry Night.

Become A Resource Family

Want to make a meaningful impact in a child’s life? Find out more about what it takes to become a resource family. We’re here to support you every step of the way. Email Kathy Kemp, Foster Family Agency Program Manager at [email protected] or visit our website for more information.

We need your help to get the kids ready for school!

Although no one is certain what the school year will look like, we know one thing – it is still critically important for our children and youth to continue receiving their education. It remains an important factor in positive long-term outcomes for our youth. Believe it or not, the simple act of having new clothes, shoes, and school supplies brings great comfort to our children.

WAYS TO HELP:

* Donate School Supplies – Most needed are backpacks, composition books, lead pencils, pens, graphing calculators, post-its, glue, folders, binders, college ruled paper, highlighters, pencil pouches, markers, colored pencils, binder index dividers and art supplies. * Donate Gift Cards – Gift cards are the perfect way to support our students! This allows the student to pick out their own style of backpack and a pair of new school shoes! Preferred stores are Target, Walmart, Office Depot or Amazon.

* Shop our Target or Amazon Wish Lists from the comfort of home and have the items shipped directly to us!

For more information please contact Morgan Piehn at
(805) 366-4022 or [email protected]

September 28, 2020

Register HERE

Vote For Us On Target Circle!

We’re participating in the Target Circle program! You can vote for us and help direct Target’s giving to benefit our nonprofit. For full program details and restrictions visit Target Circle.
https://www.target.com/circle

Now You Can Use AmazonSmile
On Your PHONE!

AmazonSmile customers can now support Casa Pacifica Centers for Children & Families in the Amazon shopping app on iOS and Android mobile phones! Simply follow these instructions to turn on AmazonSmile and start shopping!

Open the Amazon Shopping app on your device
Go into the main menu of the Amazon Shopping app and tap into ‘Settings’
Tap ‘AmazonSmile’ and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process

Join Our Team – Make a Difference!

Want to make a difference in a child or family’s life? Camino a Casa and Casa Pacifica are always looking for motivated people to join our team at one of our four locations in Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties. Along with competitive salaries, we offer a generous benefits package including medical, dental, life and disability insurance, 401(k) plan, educational assistance, paid time off, and an employee assistance program. In addition, we also offer ongoing training through our well-established training institute. Visit our website to see all available positions and apply today!

Available Positions

Ways You Can Help

1. Shop! Shopping online at Target? Who can resist Amazon these days? Put those shopping sprees to good use and shop for our kids! Check out our Target registry or Amazon wish list and have items shipped straight to us. And don’t forget to sign up for Amazon Smile and designate Casa Pacifica as your charity of choice so we receive a percentage of your purchases!

2. Give monthly and change lives year round!
You can give the gift of hope all year long with the ease of monthly giving. Automatic monthly donations provide consistent support that enables Casa Pacifica to serve our most vulnerable children and their families. Even small gifts add up to make a big difference. Please give a monthly gift and support year-round to offer our youth a brighter future. Signing up is easy! Contact Madeline Sattler, Donor Relations Officer at [email protected] or (805)366-4422.

3. Become an Angel or Amigo! These two groups are some of our biggest supporters. The Casa Pacifica Angels help out with our fundraising events and children’s parties throughout the year. The Casa Pacifica Amigos organize fun activities for the kids on the weekends – some favorites are carnival day and movie nights. Annual membership is $50 – join or gift a membership today!

Sign up to become an ANGEL or AMIGO!

Thank you to our Corporate Leaders!

Our Mission
Casa Pacifica restores hope, enhances resilience, and strengthens community connections for children, young adults and families at the most challenging times of their lives.

Donate today!