Fund a Child's Voice
Today we are lucky enough to have 150 trained Advocates who generously give their time to Advocate for our children. Unfortunately, today we have over 500 children that require Advocates. This means we have to accept the cases we can cover and we prioritize based on need and severity. We also assign cases to the Supervisors so we use every bit of available resource but, that still does not enable us to provide an Advocate for every case.
This is where you can help. It costs an average of $2500 a year to recruit, train and support an advocate. That is only $7 a day or the cost of two cups of coffee. Any donation you can make towards that cost will help us to support our existing Advocates and recruit new volunteer advocates. Take Action Donate Now
Hear from one of our Advocates
Hi my name is Theresa. I am a mother of two, a grandmother of two, I work full-time and I am an active member of the Church. In my spare time I team with another advocate to work in the best interest of abused and neglected children in Montgomery County. Together, this year, we have managed 7 separate cases which involve advocating for 12 of the 790 children who are in CPS custody.
The most challenging case we are working is that of a 14 year old boy. My partner and I accepted the case to be his CASA Advocates 7 short months ago. We often wonder what his life would be like today if we had been there to help him when he first came under the Court's jurisdiction.
Our boy was taken into CPS custody at age 8 when his mother failed to come home from a crack party and his step father was found passed out at the home. During his 6 years in custody, this boy has been in no less than 18 different homes. Not surprisingly he now suffers from a range of emotional issues that have resulted in illegal behavior and an indeterminate stay in the Texas Youth Commission facility, aka prison for adolescents.
This boy’s only wish is to have a family to care for him. Today, in some small way, we fill the role of being caring adults who can help speak for him and work tirelessly to find a safe, permanent home for him when he gets out of TYC. If you cannot provide a home for him, then for only $7 a day you can help fund me so I can keep working on his behalf. Just click here to easily set up that payment. Take Action Donate Now
If you prefer to rather donate your time and skill, then just click here to learn how you can become an advocate, or a volunteer to help with fundraising.
The words of a CASA child
A CASA is a person who helps you and your family (ex: Christmas and family visits). Well if you ask me what a CASA means to me, I would say that a CASA worker is like family. When you are in CPS it can get lonely and not where you want to be. I also think that a CASA worker is someone who you can talk to any time. Not all CPS kids have a CASA worker.
When I first met my CASA I was in a foster home with my sister. In the home there was a brother and a sister. My CASA was their CASA before me. When I met my CASA I thought she was a very kind and caring person. Then my sister and I moved to another foster home, but I still had my CASA. I was so happy and I gave her a huge hug.
My CASA has always been there for me and helps out a lot. I treat my CASA like a grandma and as my family. Every time I see my CASA, I would say that she is the best. I talk to her about almost everything. When Holidays come around she would bring gifts or crafts.
So that is why I love having a CASA. Thank you CASA for everything you did for my life these past years in care.