I've been reading Orphans of the Living by Jennifer Toth, and it is very upsetting, but realistic when it comes to what actually happens to kids in care. The system is overwhelmed, caseworkers and counselors are given way too many cases to even come close to handling, and the kids suffer for it.

As I was reading the book, I remembered an amazing organization that was formed just to help abused children, and they have some awesome programs. The organization is Childhelp USA, and for those of you not familiar with them, check out their site and see what they are all about. Childhelp was founded by Sara O'Meara and Yvonne Fedderson, two former actresses that were concerned y for the well-being of abused children.

They founded the organization in 1959, and they were recently nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. A group of CASA, including myself, visited their Phoenix facility a few years ago. If you live in the Phoenix, AZ area, please stop by (you might want to call first) and take a look! They have a one-stop setup for kids coming into care.

Arizona is also home to the Wickenburg Ranch, a $10 million dollar donation to Childhelp from Merv Griffin. This ranch has been turned into a residential treatment center, and though I haven't been there, they tell me it's really nice.

As if that wasn't enough, one of my favorite authors, Clive Cussler, was recently honored by Childhelp, and donated 600 of his books to them. You can read the article here.

Another celebrity that has done a lot for kids is Garth Brooks. He started the Touch 'em All Foundation in 1999, as a financial resource to non-profits that serve and benefit children. They are based in Denver CO, and they are funded by participating Major League Baseball players who contribute a pre-determined sum of money, based upon on-field performance measures. He also founded the Teammates for Kids foundation.

That's about it for this post, I'll catch up will all of you tomorrow.