Press Release-The Center for Adoption Support and Education Commemorates 25th Anniversary with Fundraising Gala Celebrating the Journey of Heart, Mind and Courage

Burtonsville, Maryland − The Center for Adoption Support and Education (C.A.S.E.) ™ a pioneer in mental health services and training for the adoption, foster, and kinship care communities is hosting its 25^th Anniversary Gala, Saturday, April 22^nd, at the Hamilton Hotel in Washington, D.C. C.A.S.E. was founded in 1998 by Kathleen Dugan and Debbie Riley, LCMFT, who still serves as Chief Executive Officer.

C.A.S.E. delivers adoption-competent clinical services, provides training to a national network of professionals, and informs the mental health and child welfare fields through research and advocacy.  In 2021, a new strategic direction was mapped to grow C.A.S.E.’s clinical and training programs into a National Demonstration and Teaching Clinic — planned to launch later this year to further its core mission of improving the well-being and permanence of children and their families.

Maria Garcia Anderson, President & CEO, Anderson Fire Protection, Inc., and C.A.S.E. Board Member has served as Gala Co-Chair for the past 6 years, “Our largest fundraiser, the annual gala gives C.A.S.E. the flexibility to respond to the children’s mental health crisis and serve more families in our community, regardless of their ability to pay.  The funds raised at the event go directly to financial assistance for clients to afford the cost of therapy.”

Phil Gibbs, CEO of Hamel Builders and C.A.S.E. Gala Co-Chair added, “As an adoptive parent, my family has benefited from the specialized services offered by C.A.S.E. This event is a chance to pay it forward and to celebrate the strength and resilience of the families C.A.S.E. serves.”

“C.A.S.E. has expanded over the past 25 years from a local nonprofit into a leading national and international trusted resource for thousands of adoptive, kinship and foster families and the professionals who support them”, said Debbie Riley, LCMFT and CEO, “I am proud to have the opportunity to lead this forward-thinking organization and work side by side with such a dedicated, talented, inspiring team of staff and board. I am deeply grateful for our dedicated long-term supporters, partners and advocates that believe in the impact of our work”.

C.A.S.E. would like to thank its dedicated gala sponsors for supporting the vent and ongoing work in the community and to highlight those that generously sponsored at the $25,000 level:

• Anderson Fire Protection, Inc.
• Hamel Builders, Inc.
• Bernard Family Foundation
• Cristena Bach Yeutter Charitable Trust
• Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption
• Dominion Electric Supply Company, Inc.
• Freestate Electrical Companies

About The Center for Adoption Support and Education (C.A.S.E.) ™

The Center for Adoption Support and Education (C.A.S.E.) ™ is a nationally recognized nonprofit that improves the well-being and permanence of children and families by delivering adoption competent mental health services, training a national network of professionals, and informing the field through research and advocacy. C.A.S.E. has trained more than 20,000 mental health and child welfare professionals in 32 states. With offices in the greater Baltimore-Washington metro area, C.A.S.E. has provided clinical services for more than 6,800 clients and their families since its founding in 1998.  Visit www.adoptionsupport.org to learn more.