Casa of Fresno County - believes - Every Child Counts

General Meeting March 19, 2003
Article by Georgia Vercoe

"CASA" in Spanish means home, which equates to shelter, security, caring and comfort. CASAs of Fresno County, Court Appointed Special Advocates, meet, oversee and work with some of the children who are "dependents" of the juvenile court system. By doing so, CASAs become their voice in an otherwise voiceless situation, thereby providing security, caring and comfort to those who have been removed from their families through no fault of their own. Families which had, despite their living conditions, provided them with a sense of security (however precarious) and the comfort of family.

In 1987 a Judge in Seattle, Washington began the CASA program to help the court help their children. CASA has since grown in astounding ways, crossing the country, generating the implementation of similar programs to train interested community members of varied backgrounds and ethnicities to serve as the voice of the dependent child and the eyes and ears of the court.

Ryan Rickert, Program Administrator for CASA of Fresno County, will join us for our first General Meeting of the year at The Spaghetti Factory on March 19, 2003, to share the triumphs of this program. He will explain what it takes to be an advocate, the training required to certify advocates, and how this magic mix aides the children in need of CASA services in our community. Advocacy for these children is of the highest community calling.

There is a saying by Kathy Davis that is especially true of those working with the CASA program, in whatever capacity: "One hundred years from now it will not matter what my bank account was, the type of house I lived in or the kind of car I drove...but the world may be different because I was important in the life of a child." Children are OUR future. It is our responsibility to help them reach their full potential.

See CASAFresno.com

The CASA office collects toys for their "toy closet" for use by Advocates making their first contact with a child and for their birthdays. It also serves as the foundation for Christmas toy collection and distribution. If you see a particularly good buy on a sweet toy, think of the CASA kids. They would love it.