PORTLAND, OR – November 18, 2013: CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) for Children of Multnomah and Washington County announced the addition of Gail Baker to its Board of Directors. CASA for Children is a non-profit organization whose volunteers serve the best interests of foster children in the courts and in the community.
Gail Baker
Gail Baker leads Strategic Communications at Cambia Health Solutions, with responsibility for corporate and executive messaging as well as media relations, issues management and employee communications to enhance the company’s reputation in its existing markets and support emerging growth businesses.
Before joining Cambia in 2012, Gail was director of Corporate Communication and Community Affairs at Portland General Electric, with responsibility for issues management, branding, advertising, customer and interactive communications, media relations as well as employee and financial communications.
She is an active member of the community, serving on various nonprofit boards and committees over the years as well as volunteering in her children’s school. “There is no better place to invest one’s energy than to help better the life of a child, especially a child in the foster care system,” says Baker. “By joining the CASA for Children board, I hope to support and grow this amazing program, so more children can find the stability they need to have a healthy, happy future.”
CASA is the only organization in Oregon that advocates on behalf of the rights of abused and neglected children who are under the protection of the Court.
CASA volunteers are community citizens who are deeply committed to helping abused and neglected children. All CASA volunteers receive more than 30 hours of in-depth training, plus an additional 12 hours of continuing education per year through in-services, lectures, videos, and books. Upon completion of the initial training, CASA volunteers then become sworn officers of the court. In 2012 – 2013, 403 CASA volunteers advocated for 946 children in Multnomah and Washington Counties.
CASA conducts many volunteer orientations and training sessions per year. Potential volunteers must be 21 years of age or older, and possess no criminal record. CASA welcomes volunteers from all cultures, professions, and ethnic and educational backgrounds. For additional information about CASA or to volunteer, please call 503-988-5115, or visit www.casahelpskids.org.
