As the CEO of National CASA, I spend a lot of my time on the road—and in the air. I am privileged to travel the country to share the CASA message with elected officials, business leaders and philanthropists.
Together, we will continue to grow, to someday ensure that every child in need has a caring CASA volunteer.
But there is no place I would rather be than sitting with a group of young people whose lives were touched by a CASA volunteer. Young people who have defied the odds by finishing their education, pursuing successful careers, raising children of their own. Time and again they tell me: My CASA volunteer was the only person I could count on. She believed in me when no one else did.
While these stories provide inspiration, today we must also be able to demonstrate and examine our results using data. In 2013, National CASA worked with a well-respected research firm to lay the groundwork for a performance measurement project that will enable us to document our positive impact—and ultimately enhance and expand our programs’ ability to serve children.
I am excited about the future of the CASA movement—and grateful for your support. Together, we will continue to grow, to someday ensure that every child in need has a caring CASA volunteer standing by her side.
Sincerely,
Michael S. Piraino,
Chief Executive Officer
Visibility of the CASA mission is rising, thanks in part to a strong presence on social media. By the end of 2013, National CASA’s Facebook and Twitter audience exceeded 46,000 followers — volunteers, local staff and numerous other supporters who are helping to spread the CASA message further every day.
Compelling social content draws in new community members and helps support advocates by connecting them to a nation-wide community. The National CASA Association also creates content specifically for local programs to share to bolster their own online activities.
In 2013, a new national partnership between The Toy Industry Foundation (TIF) and CASA for Children provided $200,000 in funding for the CASA network and 69,040 brand new toys for thousands of children. The partnership was launched with an employee engagement event in Los Angeles in the spring, followed by summer toy giveaways in Indianapolis and New Jersey.
“When a child is given a toy to call their own, they know that someone is thinking about them,” says TIF Executive Director Jean Butler. “That is the message we are sending each and every one of these children.”
In 2013, Kappa Alpha Theta college chapters and alumnae groups raised more than $900,000 for CASA programs and National CASA through programs like “Rock the CASA” and “Theta World Cup,” both held by the University of Tulsa’s Gamma Tau Chapter.
"Rock the CASA" is a cookout dinner featuring live music by university students. "Theta World Cup" is a campus-wide soccer tournament held in Tulsa’s football stadium. Funds raised through these events were used to build a new training facility for volunteers, now proudly named The Kappa Alpha Theta Training Facility.
The Richland County (SC) CASA Quarterbacks is a winning “team” of 100 CASA volunteers committed to serving children and growing the ranks of male volunteers. Their primary volunteer recruitment activity is hosting quarterly “tailgate” events—public information-sharing sessions where team members describe the value of child advocacy to potential volunteers. The quarterbacks also help train and support their new volunteers.
The CASA Quarterbacks are frequently called upon to share this highly replicable model with other CASA programs. In 2013 they were honored by the National CASA Association with a Promising Practices award for their innovative accomplishments.
In the fall of 2013, New Hampshire CASA volunteer Lisa Hall was one of only four finalists competing for $100,000 in prize money from the NASCAR Foundation through its Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award. The winner of the award was determined by popular vote.
In two short months, Lisa spread the word about the CASA cause and need for more volunteers in television, radio and newspaper interviews. Lisa did not win the grand prize, but for her efforts was awarded $25,000, which she chose to divide among National CASA and four local CASA programs.
For her contributions and commitment to the CASA cause, CASA of Los Angeles County volunteer Alison Wilcox was named 2013 Child Advocate of the Year at the National CASA Annual Conference.
"What I really love about being a CASA volunteer is that I know absolutely and convincingly that the children we work with are better off because of our efforts on their behalf… To our CASA children each one of us is the Child Advocate of the Year."
With the “35 Faces of CASA for Children,” we celebrated the story of the CASA movement through the people who comprise it—the judges, volunteers, CASA program staff, supporters and young people—during the 35th year of CASA volunteer service. And we invited everyone to become part of the picture, to be a face of CASA for Children, by uploading their photos and images to an online collage.
See the final interactive collage here.
National CASA builds the skills of local program staff and volunteers at an annual national training conference and through a series of customized in-person and online training. In 2013, National CASA trainers led 10 in-person workshops and hosted 34 webinars on topics including diversity, working with older youth and training volunteers.
CASA and guardian ad litem programs recruited, trained and supported needed volunteers.
CASA volunteers helped change children’s lives—every day.
= 5,000 volunteers
abused and neglected children had a caring CASA volunteer speaking up for their best interests.
= 5,000 children
CASA and guardian ad litem volunteers contributed
hours of service, equal to
in taxpayer dollars if compensated
of funding received by National CASA was directed to services and support for CASA/GAL programs
people inquired about becoming a volunteer with their local program at CASAforChildren.org
podcasts educating listeners on current child welfare trends were downloaded in 2013
were facilitated by skilled National CASA trainers on topics including increasing diversity, working with older youth and training volunteers.
CASA programs worked with National CASA to hold 204 “Flex-Learning” volunteer training sessions, which combine online and in-person sessions to meet the needs of busy volunteers
CASA program staff, volunteers, judges, board members and others increased their advocacy skills at the 2013 National CASA Conference
Click on sections of chart to learn more about National CASA's expenses.
Click on sections of chart to learn more about National CASA's income.
The National CASA Association is grateful to these organizations whose support in 2013 helped to make our work possible:
This project was supported by Cooperative Agreement 2011-CH-BX-K031 from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Office of Justice Programs, US Department of Justice. Points of view or opinions in this document are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position of policies of the US Department of Justice.
In 2013, National CASA facilitated a donation of software valued at $4.4 million from Microsoft to 209 CASA/GAL programs.
National CASA is proud to be supported by the university and college community. Student groups across the nation provide extraordinary support at the local and national levels.
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