The Mission
Our mission is to provide court-appointed volunteer advocacy for abused and neglected children to ensure that every child can thrive in a safe and permanent home.
The History of CASA
In 1977, a Seattle juvenile court judge was concerned that making drastic decisions with insufficient information conceived the idea of citizen volunteers speaking up for the best interests of abused and neglected children in the courtroom. That first CASA program has grown a network of more than 950 CASA and guardian ad litem programs that are recruiting, training and supporting volunteers in 49 states and the District of Columbia.
Boone County CASA
Boone County CASA began in 1991, under the umbrella of Human Services, which funded and administered the program for two years. When the affiliation with Human Services ended in June 1993, four active CASA volunteers formed a board, incorporated and began the search for funding to keep the program alive. There were no paid staff and the program had 35 cases. Today there are 35 CASA volunteers, 3 paid staff members. In 2019 Boone County CASA expanded services into Gallatin County. CASA serves over 160 children each year.
