2022 Annual Conference
Stepping into the Light
Thursday July 14th, 2022, Golden Colorado
Join experts with lived and learned experience to understand how we can Step into the Light and help Colorado’s families and children.
About Stepping into the Light
Join us Thursday July 14th, 2022 at the Mt Vernon Canyon Club in Golden Colorado. The annual CAFCA conference provides a day for learning, networking and celebrating for professionals working in child welfare, mental and behavioral health, foster care and community based services for children and families. Participants include and are not limited to agency leaders and staff, local and state government partners, foster and kin parents, policy makers, and others working to support these stakeholders.
Keynote Speaker – Sixto Cancel
Sixto Cancel is the Founder and CEO of Think of Us. Think of Us (TOU) is an Action Tank driving systematic change in child welfare. Through focused projects and sweeping initiatives, TOU drives structural changes in child welfare policy and practice. Sixto was named as Forbes Top 30 Under 30 Social Entrepreneurs and is on the 2021 Forbes Under 30 Lister Board. Sixto has been recognized by the White House as a “White House Champion of Change”, a “Millennial Maker” by BET, and a named “Top 24 Changemakers in Government under 24” by the Campaign for a Presidential Youth Council and Sparkaction.
Sixto has served as a Young Fellow at Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative since 2010 where he has played a key role in the initiative’s work of extending foster care permanency for older youth. Sixto is a Clinton Global Initiative University Alum, a FastForward Alum, an Ashoka Fellow, a Board Memer of Adventr – an interactive SMART video tech company – and most recently on the Advisory Board for Box, Inc. Sixto and the team at Think of Us are working hard to ensure that every person has the conditions they need to heal, develop, and thrive.
Thursday July, 14
8:15am – 9:00am
Main Dining Room
Continental Breakfast + Networking
9:00am – 9:10am
Main Dining Room
Welcome + Introducing the Day
By Becky Miller Updike, Executive Director, CAFCA
9:10am – 10:15am
Main Dining Room
Keynote Address
By Sixto Cancel, Founder + CEO, Think of Us
Total Transformation of Child Welfare: Envisioning a World Where Every Person Has the Conditions They Need to Heal, Develop, and Thrive
10:30am – 12:00pm
Main Dining Room
Morning Breakout Session A
By Renee Bernhard, Founder + Executive Director, Foster Source
Jody Britton, Kinship Service Coordinator, Foster Source
Empowering the Caregiver: Why Services for the Caregiver are Critical to Placement Stability
10:30am – 12:00pm
Main Dining Room
Morning Breakout Session B
By Elisabeth Wilson, Senior Impact Analyst, Morgridge Family Foundation
Got Data? How to Build Data and Evaluation Teams in Child Welfare Agencies
10:30am – 12:00pm
Main Dining Room
Morning Breakout Session C
By Lori Oswald, Illuminate Consulting
Getting Unstuck: A New Paradigm for Working with Client Anger
12:00pm – 1:15pm
Main Dining Room
Lunch and Awards Presentation
*Special Guest Speaker:
State Representative Dafna Michaelson Jenet,
Recipient of CAFCA’s 2022 Legislator of the Year Award
*Awards Presentation for 2022 Excellence Awards
1:30pm – 3:00pm
Main Dining Room
Afternoon Breakout Session A
By Sixto Cancel, Founder + CEO, Think of Us
Elisabeth Wilson, Senior Impact Analyst, Morgridge Family Foundation
Demystifying Participatory Research: An Open Discussion About How to Bring in Youth With Lived Experience in Participatory Research in Nonprofits
1:30pm – 3:00pm
Main Dining Room
Afternoon Breakout Session B
By Jenny Bender, Executive Director, Colorado CASA
Kelsey Fife Duarte, Data + Evaluation Manager, Colorado CASA
Influencing Child Resilience through Protective Factors: A Panel + Presentation Illustrating the Power of CASA Advocacy
1:30pm – 3:00pm
Main Dining Room
Afternoon Breakout Session C
By Hope Forti, Director, Families Together, Tennyson Center for Children
Mitchell DeVito, Program Manager, Families Together, Tennyson Center for Children
The Art of Community Engagement: Strategies for Building a Sustainable Volunteer Support Program for Families in Need
3:15pm – 4:30pm
Main Dining Room
Afternoon Breakout Session C
By Sarah Crisafi, Founder + Director, Bloom Yoga, Illuminate Colorado
Presentation (30 minutes): Trauma Informed Yoga: Research-Based Mindfulness Practice for Clients, Agency Staff, Children and Families
Participatory Practice (45 minutes): Trauma Informed Yoga Session Mount Vernon Balcony Featuring Lemonade, Champagne and incredible views! *Participants may bring comfortable clothing and mats. Mats also provided for use free of charge.
Certificates of training hours will be provided for all participants
For more information, contact Becky Miller Updike, Executive Director, CAFCA
Email: [email protected] or Cell: 720-560-3810
Pricing & Registration
Early Bird (before 6/1)
CAFCA Member
Non-Member
Foster/Kin Parents
Our Sponsors
Excellence Awards
Every year CAFCA is honored to recognize individuals and groups who exemplify excellence in their service for children, youth and families. This is a great opportunity to celebrate colleagues who lead with professionalism, compassion, and dedication. Nominees and award winners will be announced at the 2022 CAFCA Conference on July 14, 2022.
**Nominations due by 5pm, Friday, June 16, 2022.