Mission Statement
CASA of Ellis County will foster Guardian Ad Litem (GAL) Volunteers to protect the best interests of abused and neglected children and to advocate in the court system for family reunification or placement in an environment that is safe, nurturing and permanent.
Vision
CASA of Ellis County is a non-profit, tax-exempt organization dedicated to improving the lives of abused and neglected children in our County. CASA recruits, trains and supervises volunteers who are selected to act as Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) to be a voice for the child in court. CASA of Ellis County is part of a nationwide organization of Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) with 955 programs and 75,000 volunteers nationwide.
History
CASA of Ellis County is part of a national volunteer movement that began in 1977 when Judge David Soukup in Seattle decided he needed to know more about the children whose lives were in his hands. His solution was to ask community volunteers to act as a “voice in court” for abused and neglected children. These Court Appointed Special Advocate® (CASAs) provided him with the detailed information he needed to safeguard the children’s best interests and ensure that they were placed in safe, permanent homes as quickly as possible. The program was so successful that it was copied around the nation.
CASA of Ellis County has continued to serve abused and neglected children in our community by providing trained volunteers for children who have been assigned to the program through the court.
CASA of Ellis County is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization governed by a volunteer board of directors, and is a member of the National and Texas CASA Associations. There are over 1,000 CASA programs nationwide and 71 CASA programs in the state of Texas. You can find a copy of our most recent annual report below.
