CASA El Dorado
Advocating for Children in El Dorado County Foster Care
About CASA El Dorado
The heart of our program is the Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA), a specially trained and supervised community volunteer, appointed by a Juvenile Court judge. CASA advocates make a difference in the lives of abused and neglected children by researching and monitoring cases involving children in foster care. CASA’s typically take only one case at a time, allowing ample time to gather thorough information. They build relationships with their “CASA kids” by spending time with them, gathering facts about their life so they can report back to the judge; who can then make a more-informed decision as to what services and support are in the best interest the child. These decisions can have life-altering ramifications.
Advocating for Children in El Dorado County Foster Care
The primary objectives of the project are to break the intergenerational cycle that perpetuates the child abuse and neglect that leads to children being placed in foster care, and improve the lives of these children. The first of these is goals is long-term and likely impossible, as it requires eliminating substance abuse and homelessness, and both of these are well beyond the scope of our services. Yet, we believe that only by setting impossible goals are we able to determine what is possible. And, we do know that improving that improving young lives is entirely possible, because we have been doing it for over 30 years. Having a CASA, who serves as a caring and consistent adult and mentor, helps to build resiliency to Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), elevate a child’s voice in court, and create hope for a brighter future. Grant Funding from the Kelly Foundation covered the costs of our website, internet, zoom licenses, social media advertising, and related costs that are needed to operate in and maintain this virtual environment. Our budgeted costs for this is approximately $23,000 for the current year, or about $1,917 monthly. This $5,000 grant from Kelly Foundation helped fund this area of our program for 2 ½ months.
