New Advocate’s
January 2019
2019 is off to a great start at Tulsa CASA. Congratulations to our newest volunteers for completing training and swearing-in as Court Appointed Special Advocates!
Meet Bruce!
Bruce Fensler started his CASA training the day after he retired in 2016. He retired from a career in IT and also spent over 20 years in the Oklahoma Air National Guard. Bruce moved to Tulsa 38 years ago from Topeka, KS to attend Spartan School of Aeronautics, but says that he hasn’t even worked on an airplane since graduation!
As you can tell, Bruce is our resident funny guy. When asked to describe himself in three words, Bruce chose “funny, joyful, and getting old”. A little known fact about him is that he received hitting advice from long-time Boston Red Sox left-fielder Ted Williams when Bruce was 10 years old.
When speaking on this experience, Bruce said: “it did not help”. We are delighted every time Bruce brings his kind personality and funny quips around the CASA office.
Bruce stays in regular contact with the children and families he serves—both biological and
foster. One of his strengths is being able to assess the child’s needs and meet them with accuracy.
Aside from volunteering with CASA, Bruce also takes part in other community work. He volunteers at Mitchell Elementary School in North Tulsa and is a volunteer children’s pastor at his church. When he is not giving his time to work with children, Bruce enjoys traveling. He has been to Peru 5-6 times and will be traveling to Guatemala later this year on a mission trip.
Bruce and his wife, Shio, have been married for 35 years and they have 2 children and 5 grandchildren. Bruce also enjoys walking and spending time with his grandchildren whenever he is able. Bruce—we appreciate the levels of dedication and kindness that you show to each family you come into contact with. Thank you for being an exemplary CASA volunteer!
“There are so many needs in our world. Find a place to help and bring joy to someone else.” – Bruce Fensler
A Note from his Advocate Manager
Bruce is the consummate professional when it comes to his CASA volunteering. He brings his kind, compassionate demeanor with him wherever he goes.
He remained calm and understanding towards a parent in the difficult stages of a domestic violence case, even when the parent acted indifferent to others. As time went on he developed a very nice rapport with the parent and stayed the course until the family was reunited—an outcome that he had hoped for.
Bruce is starting a new case with the previous DHS worker who was so happy when she learned she would work with Bruce again. If you have ever had the pleasure of meeting Bruce Fensler, I’m sure you recall his beautiful, warm smile. I count myself lucky for knowing Bruce and working with him. – Julie Blake
New Advocates
September 2018
Congratulations to our newest advocates on being sworn-in by Judge Sparkman! This group is so energetic and passionate, they are going to do amazing things on the cases that they are assigned to. Welcome to the CASA team!
Meet Jessica!
Jessica Campbell got involved with CASA because she had been wanting to get involved in community work on a more regular and permanent basis than she had before. As Jessica would say, “around that same time I saw a CASA commercial and thought it sounded like a good fit for me” … we couldn’t agree more!
Jessica always goes above and beyond for the children on her cases, making sure that her CASA kids are safe, fed, making it to school, keeping in contact with caregivers for updates, and so much more. Aside from volunteering with CASA, Jessica has participated in other community work with the Tulsa Food Bank and Habitat for Humanity.
When she is not advocating for her CASA kids or pursuing other community needs, Jessica enjoys reading, gardening and being a soccer mom. Jessica and her husband Evan have three children, Conner, Beckham, and Evelyn, and a 12 year old Collie named Denver.
Professionally, Jessica is a Landman for an oil and gas company and one little known fact about her is that she dreams of being a farmer—and will be someday!
Her advice for someone looking to volunteer in the community is to “find something that touches your heart and plays on your strengths”. We feel so lucky that Jessica chose CASA as the organization to utilize her own strengths and gain more community involvement. Thank you for being a such a wonderful advocate for your CASA kiddos, Jessica!
“CASA offers dependable activists for children in our community who have likely never had anyone dependable in their lives.” – Jessica Campbell
A Note from her Advocate Manager
Jessica is determined, objective, and has a huge heart for every kid she serves. She is able to support children and their families, and fights for the best possible outcome in any case.
Jessica has made an impact in the lives of many children through CASA and I believe she will continue to do so in the future! – Kaitlin Brasher
New Advocate’s
August 2018
This was an extra special swearing-in day. Not only did we swear-in 10 truly wonderful people as Court Appointed Special Advocates, but we also swore-in our new advocate manager, Kristen Dake! Help us welcome our newest CASA’s and Kristen to the Tulsa CASA family! #WeAreForTheChild
Meet Evan!
Evan Kelamis is a long-time Tulsan who proudly owns and operates Savoy Restaurant. As the fourth-generation caretaker of a 100-year-old family establishment, Evan understands the importance of family values and dedication—and not to mention baking the best cinnamon rolls in Tulsa!
Evan has served on the CASA Board of Directors since 2014, and currently serves as our Board President. As CASA’s Board President, Evan works to preserve and promote best practices in our organization that will ensure CASA meets it’s long-term goals. Evan has ambitious goals to promote the growth of CASA and our resources to enable us to serve even more children than we currently do today.
When Evan is not busy fostering an environment of teamwork and strategic thinking amongst CASA’s leadership team, he continues to improve our community in many other faucets of philanthropic work. As the owner of Savoy Restaurant, he is proud that the landmark Tulsa establishment supports local community events and charities benefitting the St. John Health System, the Tulsa Zoo, the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, the Coffee Bunker, and Tulsa’s long-standing Oktoberfest tradition, to name a few.
Professionally, Evan also serves as the President Elect of Entrepreneurs’ Organization Tulsa and he is on the Food Advisory Council of the Tulsa Health Department.
Evan enjoys music and music history, as well as reading. Evan’s family, including his wife Elizabeth and their three young children, particularly enjoy spending time outdoors—often hiking, camping, and attending summer musical festivals and local events in Tulsa.
They are also preparing to grow their family by ten fingers and ten toes, welcoming another baby girl due to arrive in October! With all of his many personal, professional, and philanthropic endeavors, we are so lucky to have Evan as our 2018 Board President. Thank you for all that you do to ensure the stability and longevity of Tulsa CASA, Evan!
“Although it is cliché, children truly represent the future of our community. CASA offers an indispensable service to be the voice and the best advocate in the court system for children who are tragically neglected and abused. CASA volunteers change the lives and futures of the children who are most in need of our support.” – Evan Kelamis
A Note from our Executive Director
Evan’s tenure as board president has been an asset not only to the board, but to the CASA program as a whole. He is committed to our mission and his devotion to board development and process improvement have strengthened the organization immeasurably.
I especially value Evan’s thoughtfulness and business acumen – the changes made under his leadership will positively impact CASA for years to come. – Maura Guten
Meet Kari!
Kari McKee has lived in Tulsa for 28 years and has always been engaged in the community. Two of Kari’s daughters are members of the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority, a fraternal organization that has supported CASA on a national level for over 25 years!
Although she was familiar with CASA through her daughters, Kari read about Tulsa CASA in a local newspaper and attended one of our Lunch and Learns over 2 years ago. She has been advocating for children inside and outside of the courtroom ever since!
Kari and her husband Sean have four children; Kelsey, Connor, Katherine and Caroline. Their family also includes a golden retriever named Tess and a yellow lab named Rorie.
Kari says that her occupation is being a full-time homebody, but she has many hobbies. When she is not working with children and the Safe Babies Court Team, Kari enjoys gardening, reading, and cooking. She also loves the beach when the weather is warm!
In past volunteer experiences, Kari has been very involved with her church and has also participated in a Reading Buddies program. Kari has truly made a difference in the cases that she advocates on, and we are so happy that she made the decision to dedicate her time and become a child’s Court Appointed Special Advocate. Thank you for advocating so passionately for the children on your cases, Kari!
“I talk to DHS and service providers, and visit with the natural parents and the foster family, just to get to know everyone involved in the baby’s life. CASA provides an unbiased set of eyes to evaluate what is best for the children involved in the proceedings. CASA is an additional resource for the court, to help the court make the best decisions possible.” — Kari McKee
A Note from her Advocate Manager
Kari is a wonderful volunteer! She has seen two children to permanency and continues to advocate thoroughly and objectively for her current CASA kiddo.
She consistently brings great information to court and expresses best interest clearly and skillfully. She has been an ideal addition to the CASA family as well as the Safe Babies Court Team. – Elizabeth Fisher
New Advocates
June 2018
Congratulations to our newest group of volunteers for completing training and being sworn in as Court Appointed Special Advocates! We will not be providing a training session in July, but that means that you have plenty of time to get signed up for one of our sessions in the fall! Call 918.584.2272 or look on our website at www.tulsacasa.org for more information about upcoming training dates and volunteer requirements
Meet Tina!
Tina Bellamy is one of our CASA’s who has been appointed to serve children in our Baby CASA
program. Baby CASA is part of Tulsa’s Safe Babies Court Team and focuses on children aged 0-3 paying special attention to infant mental health and the importance of forming secure emotional attachments during the first three years of life.
Through Tina’s work with the Safe Babies Court Team, she has witnessed how CASA impacts families, stating “CASA has been a lifesaver to so many parents. Without CASA, parents would be lost on having help to get their children back”.
When Tina is not attending hearings, visiting with caregivers, and offering support to families, she has many hobbies! She and her husband enjoying attending concerts and they like almost any genre of music. She also likes to take her dad fishing, and loves to attend Yoga class during the week.
Tina has been married to her husband for 25 years and she has 3 children, 2 dogs, 3 cats, and a bearded dragon! One little known fact about Tina is that she has many beautiful tattoos—but would like to continue adding more artwork!
Tina’s kind heart and her ability to stay upbeat in even the most difficult situation makes her such an asset to our Baby CASA program. Thank you for all that you do to lend support and encouragement to the families on your cases, Tina!
“After you see a child’s case close and reunification with the child’s parents, you will know it was worth all of your hard work and going to all of the meetings and court hearings. Try not be nervous—just do what you can and in the end you will not regret it” – Tina Bellamy
A Note from her Advocate Manager
Tina is a wonderful advocate. Her first case ended in a successful reunification with kiddo and parents.
Tina not only tirelessly advocated for her CASA child, but was instrumental in identifying and troubleshooting barriers for the parents. Her collaboration with other professionals on the case made her a great addition to the Safe Babies Court Team. – Elizabeth Fisher
