Quotable Quotes from Those Who Know...

WHY CASA

Volunteers are ordinary citizens, doing extraordinary work for children, and along the way bringing such passion, dedication, and effort to their work. Volunteering is the foundation on which the CASA program is built and it remains the most effective and efficient mechanism to serve the greatest number of abused and neglected children well. In the over twenty-five year history, well-trained and supervised CASA volunteers have repeatedly demonstrated their competence in providing high quality advocacy for children. By the very nature of “volunteerism” CASA volunteers empower themselves through commitment of time and energy. Volunteers generally work on only one or two cases at a time and this focus gives them the ability to see and do more on behalf of an individual child.

CASA volunteers are independent of bureaucratic constraints that often keep those employed by our local institutions playing by rules that are outdated or make less than common sense. Certainly volunteers do not work in a vacuum. It takes the strong support and guidance of local program staff to facilitate their work. Careful screening, training, supervision, and retention are essential to assure high quality volunteer advocacy. Although paid staff plays an integral role in the coordination and management of the program, the traditional role of staff does not include routinely working cases. One primary reason is cost-effectiveness; it is certainly more cost-effective to have one staff person coordinating 30 volunteers serving 75 children. Still, cost-effectiveness is only a small component of our commitment to the use of volunteers.

CASA volunteers bring a much needed outside perspective to our court and child welfare systems. Most importantly the children served don’t have to face the complex child welfare and court system alone! The volunteer’s lack of past experience in “the system” not only brings a fresh perspective, but it opens our doors to the community and helps raise public awareness of the plight of our community’s abused and neglected children.

The CASA volunteer is the one consistent person in that child’s life. To a child, having a volunteer working for them can make all the difference. Everyone including older children are moved when they understand the notion, “you don’t get paid to do this?” It shows to them the level of concern and commitment being made by the volunteer. No, it’s not part of their “job.” Volunteers are in fact the heart of what we do for children.

John Ashcroft, United States Attorney General
“National CASA is dedicated to speaking for abused and neglected children. CASA needs your help and I urge you to consider volunteering with this worthy organization—it will make the difference in a child’s life and, quite possibly, your own.”

John D. Rockefeller IV, U.S. Senator
“It’s increasingly difficult for the courts and social workers to make the system work for families and children. This is why CASA volunteers are so essential. They provide valuable information and insight about individual children. CASA deserves our deep admiration and support.”

Marian Wright Edelman, Founder and President of Children’s Defense Fund
“Keeping children safe must be everybody’s business. Court Appointed Special Advocate volunteers (CASA) play a unique role on behalf of some of our most vulnerable children. They often stand alone for abused and neglected children. Their commitment, vigilance, and persistence offer hope where there has been little. They help to light the way for these children—and for all of us.”

Anna Quindlen, Author, Columnist, and National CASA Association Celebrity Advocate
“The lawyers know the statutes, the social workers the regulations. But the CASA volunteer is assigned to know the child, one child at a time, to understand the boundaries of her life, to telephone her teachers, to consider her hopes and dreams, to try to come to some conclusion about what will be in her best interests. For children whose pasts have been chaotic and whose futures are uncertain, the CASA volunteer may be the most consistent, interested presence in their lives.”

Stephen Elliott; Author and a Former Ward of the Court
“Having a consistent person throughout the ordeal in Chicago, having some touchstone would have made a tremendous difference for me. I had over eight placements in four years… I could have asked a CASA volunteer what was going to happen next and understood the steps in the system. I might not have believed my only option was to run away. Having a person to talk to and advocate on the child’s behalf can make a huge difference. During my experience, I had no one to go to. I think this is a big plus. The child may be reticent and may not be the cute kid, but CASAs can recognize and respect the child’s value as an individual. It is the CASA volunteer’s responsibility to do their best and these children desperately need this.” Unfortunately, Stephen can only guess at the difference a CASA volunteer may have made in his life. No CASA program existed in Chicago in 1985 when Elliott entered the juvenile dependency system at the age of 14.

David Kersh, Country Western singer
“I had a great childhood and it broke my heart to realize that so many kids have a completely different experience. When I learned about what CASAs provide for abused and neglected children, I wanted to do whatever I could to help make a difference.” That’s why Kersh has committed his heart and talent to a campaign to help raise funds and build awareness for CASA agencies from coast to coast. He wrote a song called, “When I Look at You,” about his admiration for kids who struggle with abuse and neglect.