• Casa Pacifica Celebrates National Volunteer Appreciation Month

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    April 14, 2022
    Casa Pacifica Celebrates National Volunteer Appreciation Month
     
    Camarillo, CA – Casa Pacifica celebrated National Volunteer Appreciation Week a little early with an agency-wide town hall luncheon celebrating their guests of honor – the 2021 volunteer award winners. The winners included: BrightView, Community Volunteer of the Year; Oksana Zussman, Angel of the Year; and Chris Cook, Volunteer of the Year. “We are thrilled to be able to honor these incredible individuals. They enable us to provide much more for our youth than would be possible on our own. Because of them we are able to stretch the boundaries of possibilities,” commented Carrie L. Hughes, Casa Pacifica’s Chief Development Officer.

    BrightView, Community Volunteer of the Year – BrightView landscape crews recently spent two days on Casa Pacifica’s main Camarillo Campus doing some much-needed work by the main driveway. The crews tackled years of overgrowth, tree trimming, and clearing. The project came about when a BrightView employee participated in Casa Pacifica’s on-campus car show during quarantine. While driving through the campus, he saw areas in need of attention. He took the idea of volunteering BrightView’s services to management and they loved it. BrightView commercial clients then “donated a day” which allowed BrightView to redirect the crew that would normally work on the company’s property to work on Casa Pacifica’s landscaping instead. Clients who donated include: JLL of Thousand Oaks, City of Westlake Community Park, La Ventana HOA, and Westlake Park Place.
    Chris Cook, Volunteer of the Year – Chris Cook is a jack-of-all-trades. He can often be found on Casa Pacifica’s Camarillo Campus working on storage projects, décor for the children’s parties, or other projects for fundraising events. During Casa Pacifica’s biggest fundraising event of the year, the Angels Wine, Food & Brew Festival, Chris and his wife Tami can be found working hard alongside the staff Development Team. Chris and Tami also sponsor many of the fundraising events, further contributing to the success of the events.

    Oksana Zussman, Angel of the Year – Oksana Zussman has served on the Casa Pacifica Angels Board since 2012, giving generously of her time and talents. She is currently serving as one of the Children’s Events Co-Chairs, planning the four children’s parties sponsored each year by the Angels Auxiliary. She has also been instrumental in many of Casa Pacifica’s fundraising events – from being a sponsor to serving on planning committees. Most recently she volunteered countless hours for the Angels Spotlight on Style Fashion Show.
     
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    Casa Pacifica Centers for Children and Families is a crisis-care and residential treatment facility for foster or at-risk children in Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties. Its mission is to restore hope, enhance resilience, and strengthen community connections for children, young adults and families at the most challenging times of their lives. The agency is the largest non-profit provider of children’s mental health services in both counties and administers a number of community-based programs designed to strengthen families and keep children in their homes and communities. Casa Pacifica is also a foster family agency, which recruits and trains families for potential placement with a foster youth. For more information about Casa Pacifica visit its website www.casapacifica.org or call the Development & Public Relations Department at (805) 445-7800.
     

     
    Contact:
    Carrie Hughes
    chughes@casapacifica.org, 805-366-4011