The Mission.
Provide financial resources, community education and outreach to support CASA of Franklin County,
ensuring that every child who has been abused and neglected has a voice in court in order to
make a positive impact on the child and the community.
Grants Awarded to Friends Make A Huge Difference in the Lives of the Children Served by Volunteer Guardians ad Litem!
Friends of CASA is grateful to its grantors for their financial support and for caring about children who have been abused and neglected — and the Guardians ad Litem who work with them. These organizations are helping to make a difference in the lives of hundreds of Franklin County children each year.
We are especially appreciative to these funders as their support is integral to the ongoing and new training programs provided to CASA volunteers — programs designed to enhance skills and expertise of CASA volunteers as they work one-on-one to meet the needs of the abused and neglected children and family units they serve.
We offer our appreciation and gratitude to the following who have already provided funding in 2023 for volunteer training and other programs:
Crane Group
Park National Bank
Nationwide Foundation
Reinberger Foundation
Walmart
The Harry C. Moores Foundation
Barbasol Foundation
Siemer Foundation
We offer thanks to those organizations who awarded grants in 2022 for updating CASA programs already implemented and those new specialty programs in development for implementation during 2023. Along with grants awarded for updating and expanding existing specialty training and volunteer programs, three new Specialty Training Programs were funded for development and implementation in 2023.
The impact of alcohol or other drug (AOD) use in the household on abused/neglected children …
Through this training, GALs will receive additional knowledge and enhanced skills to identify and address indicators that a child is suffering negative impact and effects of parental AOD. This specialized training program will provide GALs with additional skillsets to effectively help the children they serve who have been removed from the home because of parental (or other adult) alcohol and/or drug abuse, and who are facing additional challenges and setbacks that adversely impact their overall well-being and emotional health.
Training to identify, address and overcome educational setbacks of children in foster care …
Intended change will result as GALs gain additional expertise on the issue of school instability, and reduced or limited academic progress children in the foster care and child welfare system often experience. GALs can help ensure positive progress in the school and learning environment for the children they serve, through support, guidance, empowerment and inclusion of the child in decisions and determinations to guide them into a stronger educational and learning environment, interactions and experiences.
Increased complex emotional traumas arising from the pandemic and their impact on abused and neglected children …
As a declared natural disaster, Covid can be a causative factor to additional harmful effects on children already in significant emotional turmoil from abuse and neglect. “Those who are involved in the child welfare system are at particularly high risk for experiencing disaster-related traumatic stress and other mental health and behavioral challenges,” states Child Trends. A Surgeon General’s report states: “The pandemic’s negative impacts most heavily affected those who were vulnerable to begin with,” including LGBTQ+ youth, low-income youth, youth involved with the child welfare or juvenile justice systems, homeless youth and others.
The history of CASA.
In 1977, a Seattle Juvenile Court Judge found himself faced with making life changing placement decisions about children he knew very little about. He never felt confident he had their entire story, and was deeply concerned about what might happen if he made the “wrong” decision. Out of this concern grew the idea for CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates). CASA of Franklin County was founded in 1991 as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, volunteer based program and has steadily grown. On July 1, 2020 CASA of Franklin County’s advocacy program transitioned into a department of the Franklin County Board of Commissioners Office of Justice Policy and Programs.
Solving the problem.
In America, three children die each day at the hands of their caretakers. More than 100,000 cases of child abuse and neglect are reported in Ohio annually and Franklin County reports approximately 2,700 children involved in abuse, neglect and dependency court proceedings each year.
CASA of Franklin County provides the link between concerned community volunteers and the abused and neglected children in need of a powerful voice to speak up for their best interest. Friends of CASA works to support this tireless effort.
“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’”
— Mr. Rogers