Theta's national philanthropy is CASA, which stands for Court Appointed Special Advocates. CASA is a group of trained community volunteers appointed by a judge to speak up for abused and neglected children in court. With the information provided by CASA volunteers, judges are able to make informed and timely decisions as to what is best for the child so these children still have a chance at the best childhood possible. Every year, CASA volunteers help approximately 280,000 abused or neglected children find safe and permanent homes. To learn more about CASA please visit the CASA national website.
Theta college and alumnae chapters help CASA by raising money for CASA programs, providing office support, organizing fundraisers for toys or items for CASA children, and by becoming CASA volunteers themselves.
Concerned over making decisions about abused and neglected children's lives without sufficient information, a Seattle judge conceived the idea of using trained community volunteers to speak for the best interests of these children in court. So successful was this Seattle program that soon judges across the country began utilizing citizen advocates. In 1990, the U.S. Congress encouraged the expansion of CASA with passage of the Victims of Child Abuse Act. Today more than 900 CASA programs are in operation, with 62,000 women and men serving as CASA volunteers. CASA is an acronym for Court Appointed Special Advocate.
National CASA has also received support from the Kappa Alpha Theta Foundation since 1989. This international women's fraternity selected CASA as its philanthropy and has provided funds for a variety of projects, including start-up grants and a public awareness video.
CASA: Voices for Children, INC.
Court Appointed Special Advocates of Brazos County PO Box 6078
Bryan, TX 77805
http://www.casaforchildren.org