When you fund a CASA volunteer

CASA volunteers advocate for abused and neglected children, giving them a voice and helping them return to safe and permanent homes as quickly as possible. But the volunteers cannot do their important work without the support of Volunteer Managers - paid staff with extensive training in the family court system. We cannot provide Volunteer Managers without the support of people like you! It costs about $1,000 to provide a CASA volunteer to a child for one year. That’s less than half the cost of foster care for a child for one month. Here is what happens when you help fund a CASA volunteer:

  1. An applicant, Rosa, signs up for a training class

 
 

2. Rosa completes 30 hours of training, including a home visit and court observation

 
 

3. Rosa gets sworn in. She is officially a CASA volunteer!

 
 

4. Rosa gets assigned to a CASA Volunteer Manager and they ask her to work a case; Rosa says yes

 
 

5. Rosa gets an official court order, which grants her access to the confidential records she needs to gather

 
 

6. Rosa goes with her Volunteer Manager to visit her CASA child, Lily, for the first time

 
 

7. Rosa begins to collect records on Lily and her parents from schools, therapists, doctors and others

 
 

8. Rosa continues to visit Lily monthly, talk to people involved in her life and keep her Volunteer Manager informed about the case

 
 

9. About every 90 days, Rosa writes a report for the judge that includes recommendations for actions that would benefit Lily; Rosa stays on the case as long as it remains open (2 years on average)

 
 

10. Ultimately, Rosa recommends to the judge where and with whom Lily should live permanently; Lily’s case closes and she is reunified with her parents, adopted or emancipated

 
 

11. Rosa takes another case and begins helping another child

Thanks to Rosa’s advocacy, Lily’s case has closed faster and Lily is half as likely as other former foster children to re-enter the system. Although Lily has suffered trauma from neglect or abuse, as well as from the removal from her parents, Rosa’s work has ensured her trauma is lessened and she is able to heal from it faster.

Ready to make a difference?

You can help fund a CASA volunteer like Rosa and change the future for a child in need today by giving to CASA of Lexington.