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Casey Family Programs Appoints Dr. America Bracho As New Board Member

Posted on: Tuesday, 18 December 2007, 12:00 CST

SEATTLE, Dec. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Casey Family Programs appoints America Bracho, M.P.H., C.D.E., as one of its newest members of the board of trustees. The foundation's seven-member board is responsible for managing a $2.5 billion endowment and directing the organization's 2020 Strategy to improve the lives of children in foster care.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070116/CASEYFAMILYLOGO) The 2020 Strategy has three goals: -- To safely reduce the number of children in foster care in half by the year 2020. -- To reinvest savings to strengthen the child welfare system. -- To improve the lives of youth in foster care so they can become self-sufficient, healthy adults.

The foundation is putting its 2020 Strategy into action by providing direct service to children in foster care and by working with child welfare agencies and policy makers.

Dr. America Bracho is executive director and founder of Latino Health Access in Santa Ana, Calif., a community-based center promoting healthy living and disease prevention. Bracho is a native of Venezuela where she practiced medicine for several years until she came to the U.S. to receive training in public health from the University of Michigan. She is a dedicated and passionate doctor who has leveraged her intellect, education and vitality around children's health and welfare issues, as well as HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention. Bracho served on the task force on health disparities for the Kellogg Foundation and is an advisory committee member for the Marguerite Casey Foundation.

"Dr. Bracho's contributions to the Latino community are recognized at the local, regional and national levels," said Gary Severson, chairman of the board for Casey Family Programs. "Her leadership in the area of health issues and health education will be a valuable asset to our board."

"I am honored and eager to join the board of Casey Family Programs," Bracho said. "The mission, goals and direction of the foundation are aligned with my own values."

Bracho joins Dennis F. Hightower and David C. Mills as the foundation's newest members of board of trustees. Current board members include Gary R. Severson, chair, Shelia Evans-Tranumn, Sharon L. McDaniel-Lowe, and Joan B. Poliak. The President and CEO of Casey Family Programs is William C. Bell.

About Casey Family Programs

Casey Family Programs is the largest national foundation whose sole mission is to provide and improve -- and ultimately prevent the need for -- foster care. The foundation draws on over 40 years of experience and expert research and analysis to improve the lives of children and youth in foster care in two important ways: by providing direct services and support to foster families, and by promoting improvements in child welfare practice and policy. The Seattle-based foundation was established in 1966 by UPS founder Jim Casey, and has a current endowment of $2.5 billion.

For more information, contact Casey Family Programs at info@casey.org or 1300 Dexter Avenue North, Floor 3, Seattle, WA 98109. Visit our Web site at http://www.casey.org/.

Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070116/CASEYFAMILYLOGOAP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com

Casey Family Programs

CONTACT: Marianne Bichsel, Managing Director of Communications of CaseyFamily Programs, +1-206-378-3376, cell, +1-206-265-3880, mbichsel@casey.org

Web site: http://www.casey.org/

Source: PRNewswire

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