CASA for Douglas County
We are very excited to announce a new partnership with CASA for Douglas County! CASA stands for Court Appointed Special Advocates. CASA recruits, trains, and empowers volunteer advocates to improve the lives of abused and neglected children. A CASA is a highly trained volunteer, sworn in as an Office of the Court, that is appointed to a specific foster child(ren) by a judge. CASAs meet with the child as well as case professionals, parents/ foster parents, teachers, daycare providers, medical and mental health providers, and all those who provide services to the child. They write up reports with recommendations to the court and attend related court hearings. Their job is to act as a voice for these abused and neglected children and advocate for what is in their best interest. At times, a CASA may be the only consistent advocate present in a child’s life.
Research shows that a child with a CASA volunteer is likely to exit the foster care system 5-8 months sooner than one without a court-appointed advocate. Currently, CASA for Douglas County advocates for over 500 kids in foster care. However, at any given time, there are up to 1,600 kids in Douglas County’s foster care system that could benefit from a CASA’s help. CASA’s mission is to provide a volunteer advocate for each child that needs one. They are in dire need of volunteers within our community to advocate for these children and make a difference in their lives.
Advocating for some of the most vulnerable kids in our community is at the core of the Shikhar & Kristin Saxena Foundation’s mission and we share CASA for Douglas County’s goal of bringing a CASA volunteer to every child that needs one.
For this reason, we are overjoyed to announce that the Shikhar & Kristin Saxena Foundation will be funding CASA’s 2022 public awareness campaign to help recruit community members who would make amazing CASA volunteers! CASA of Douglas County does the incredible job of matching special people in our community to children in need of advocates and giving them the training they need to truly make a difference in their lives. We are honored to be a part of the process.
Please consider supporting CASA by contributing financially, becoming a CASA Volunteer, or simply learning more about their work here.