Making a Difference: CASA of Santa Cruz County

out of napal… the government says, there’s an extremly slim chance of finding more survivors in the rubble. this after a 7.8 magnitude quake shook the area last week. so far the death toll has surpassed seven thousand. more than twice as many are injured. meantime, more quake survivors are making their way home to the u-s.. danielle banks was on mount everest the day the quake hit. it then triggered an avalance.. she wasn’t able to contact her family for two days. *danielle banks/avalanche survivor “every hotel was damaged there and we just kept walking and the next village we got there and they said we have no rooms.”* so far, nearly 61 million dollars in humanitarian pledges and contributions have been given for earthquake response. closer to home.. in southern california.. dangerous surf pounded the beaches this weekend.. in newport waves were ten feet tall! lifeguards say they had to rescue at least three people. waves are expected to get even bigger today. *chief mike halthide/newport beach lifeguard operations “it’s really strong, it’s much more powerful than some of the swells we get from hurricanes.”* the national weather service says a storm near new zealand has created the large waves along the southern california coastline. in santa cruz county, youth advocates say hundreds of kids are placed in foster care each year because of abuse or neglect. and each day they face uncertainty and trauma. but one organization is giving those children hope with a home and a mentor. here’s more in today’s making a difference. *trt:outcue::*–pkg—trevor weedler/ former foster youth/ 19 “my dad was an alcoholic…”when trevor weedler was 15 years old, he ran away from home.trevor weedler/ former foster youth/ 1949 “i was on the streets for three months… ” then trevor was placed in foster care where things went from bad to worse.trevor weedler/ former foster youth/ 2019 “i bounced around from foster home to foster home, group home to group home.”by 17, trevor was struggling in school and considered dropping out when he met joe.trevor weedler/ former foster youth/ 2145 “he showed me an example of someone who had their stuff put together.”joe is one of 240 volunteers with casa of santa cruz county.fred koehler/ supervisor, casa of santa cruz/ 5805 “it’s kinda like a big brother, big sister but with court responsibly.” the chapter is part of a national recognized organization funded mostly through private donations.they train volunteers to mentor and represent severely abused, neglected or abandon children. fred koehler/ supervisor, casa of santa