Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA)

Jan 14 - Steve Zimmerman, a Peer Coordinator with the CASA program, described the CASA program to us. He explained that CASA started in the state of WA in 1977 and has grown steadily; there are now over 950 CASA programs across the country. In Maricopa County there are 9216 kids in foster care and only 408 CASA volunteers - the need for new volunteers is desperate. Steve described the requirements and responsibilities of a CASA volunteer. Judges rely heavily on the CASA's reports when the child's case is reviewed but the mentoring and advocacy for the children is the heart of the program. A volunteer is expected to stay with a case until it is complete and most CASAs continue on to other cases because of the satisfaction they get from giving help where it is really needed.  You can get more details at CASA of Maricopa County.