Myriad Community Corner | CASA Academy

Myriad Community Corner

Here at Myriad, one of our core values is to Be Grateful. We believe that being humble is a key step to success and a huge part of what makes our corporate culture so unique. This is why we make sure to give back to our community! We work and operate throughout the valley and love being a part of the vibrant community here. Throughout the year, Myriad donates our time and money to various outreach programs from sending food trucks, shopping for toys, sponsoring fundraisers, and delivering pies to food banks we give back in many ways.

Check out one of our favorite groups below!

CASA Academy

In 2013, Daniel Brown, CEO and REALTOR® of Myriad at My Home Group, began his involvement with CASA Academy. He joined the governing board along with seven other members to help improve the education of local Phoenix students. Today, he serves as the Vice Chair of CASA Academy.

“I’ve never really been a part of an organization where you can see the immediate impact you can make. It’s truly amazing. What’s even more amazing is you can see the kids really appreciate it, and they want to learn. I think some of these kids are forced to grow up at a very young age due to the situation they’re born into. CASA is a break from that where they can learn, enjoy a balanced meal, and socialize in a safe setting. The looks on their faces makes it all worth it.”

-Daniel Brown, CEO of Myriad Real Estate

Why We Support CASA

Not only has Daniel been involved with the school for 5 years, but he has also brought Myriad into the mix! At Myriad, we support CASA Academy in various ways from sponsoring their annual events and participating in various fundraising drives. In December of 2017, we joined forces with Crossfit Magna to donate gifts to the scholars during the holiday season. After packing two car-loads full of toys, we made sure to stop by the school to watch the scholars smiling faces. It was one of our favorites moments of 2017 and we are looking forward to our 2018 toy drive! To watch this memorable moment, visit here.

In February of 2018, we participated in CASA’s, “Building The Future One Day At A Time,” annual fundraising event. Students and families greeted people as they walked in, hand crafted gifts for donors, and put together raffle baskets. The remainder of the event was filled with stories from CASA teachers and scholars, mingling with other attendees, and the showcasing of their yearly funding video. The event was a touching moment for the Myriad Team as we saw first-hand our impact on the school, families, and local community.

Pictured: Abigail Smith, Morgan Maxwell, Emily White, Rachel Lutowsky, Jake White

So, What Is Casa Academy?

In 2012, Jenna Leahy and Tacey Clayton met and immediately connected over the injustice they witnessed in their classrooms— even in the primary grades, students from low-income communities were not entering or progressing at the same rate as their higher income peers. Unfortunately, their experiences were not unique: on average, low-income students are already two years behind by the time they reach the fourth grade.

They decided to join forces, driven by a common mission—to raise the bar for education in Arizona. Their drive and persistence resulted in over $950,000 in start-up funding. Together, they visited over 50 of the top-performing schools across the country to learn best practices before submitting their charter application, which was unanimously approved in January of 2014. After countless months of knocking on neighborhood doors in the stifling summer heat, CASA opened to a record number of students on August 4, 2014.

Pictured: Jenna Leahy, Tacey Clayton, and CASA Academy scholars

CASA’s Mission

CASA’s mission is to be not just a school, but a movement to raise the bar for education in Central Phoenix. They are a part of “New Schools for Phoenix” incubator program, a highly selective and competitive non-profit program devoted to expanding educational opportunities to all students throughout Arizona. At CASA, 98% percent of students qualify for free and reduced lunch, 72% are English Language Learners and over 90% of the student body are students of color. CASA also uses a combination of rigorous academics, a college-bound culture, competitively selected teachers, and an extended school-day and school year. Their goal is to have all of its students to make over 1.5 years of growth in a single year.

CASA’s Core Beliefs

CASA Academy strongly believes that it is not enough to simply educate a child in the core academic areas. They believe that scholars need to be equipped with character traits necessary to succeed in life. CASA’s six core values are:

Empowerment

Perseverance

Enthusiasm

Respect

Integrity

Responsibility

Pictured: CASA Academy scholars

Why Give Back To Casa

Each year, CASA Academy must raise more than $125,000 to make up for the deficit caused by Arizona’s half-funding per kindergartner policy. By donating to CASA, you will be providing children in our local Phoenix community with a quality education and a college-bound attitude that will continuously push them to achieve their goals. With over 130,000 students in the area, CASA’s program allows for their scholars to excel in school with an academic approach designed to advance in all subjects. CASA also welcomes any student-regardless of race, ethnicity, income-level, and language. They will embrace any student who walks through the door and will never charge a cent for tuition.

At Myriad, we believe in supporting a school that is educating children and creating empowered citizens that are ready for success in college, life, and society. Together, we can not only impact children's futures, but we can also make a difference in our local community and the entire world.

To donate to CASA Academy and support scholars and teachers, visit www.casaacademy.org.

To become a sponsor at their annual fundraising event and make a powerful statement about your corporate responsibility, values, and bring new opportunities to the 175 scholars CASA serves, visit here.

And for more information about CASA Academy and to keep up with their current news, follow them on Facebook.

Until next time,

The Myriad Team

Photo Credit: CASA Academy