Making Kids Our Top Priority

Imagine a world where everyone’s top priority is children: making them safe, finding them homes, really listening to kids and hearing what they have to say. That’s the world of National CASA and its 1,018 program offices across the country. 

Since last September, I have heard many a harrowing tale from the field about programs nearly crippled by the recession and staff members who are making incredible sacrifices to ensure that kids continue to be served and heard. I am very pleased that National CASA has been able to assist struggling programs with bridge grants to help them get through tough times, and I am confident that when this economic storm is over, our network will emerge stronger than ever.

Why such confidence? Because even as the economy pounds communities across the country, people continue to step forward to become CASA volunteers. A year ago, the National CASA network had 59,000 volunteers. Today, we are nearly 69,000 strong and serve nearly a quarter of a million foster kids, making us the largest—and I would say the best—volunteer-based child advocacy movement in the world.

Being a volunteer child advocate is demanding work, and it’s not for everybody. But you can support a world in which children are everyone’s top priority by making a gift to National CASA today.