Friends of CASA

Mission

Friends of CASA provides support for children served by Court-Appointed Special Advocates (CASAs)* in the King County dependency system when there is no other available funding source, with the goal of promoting safety, well-being, and permanency in the children's lives.

*A CASA is a volunteer who is appointed by Superior Court to represent the best interests of a child in a dependency action, where abuse or neglect on the part of a parent or caregiver has been alleged.

Description

Since 1983, Friends of CASA has provided funding for many children's services including:

Health assessments and therapy
Specialized equipment or devices
Legal services
Housing
Tutoring
Clothing and furniture
Camps and activities

Friends of CASA is led by a volunteer Board of Directors and is funded primarily through private donations. Administrative expenses are funded entirely by FOC Board Members, so 100% of all received donations goes directly to the children and their families. Grants funded by Friends of CASA tend to be small in amount (in 2019 the average grant was slightly less than $500), but the impact they have on families in their time of need can be dramatic.

Here are some examples of services funded by Friends of CASA in 2020::

Rental costs for a mother about to be reunited with her six-year-old child -- $875
Legal services for a relative caregiver in the process of adopting a five-year-old boy - $750
One-on-one math tutoring for a nine-year-old girl - $260
Toys, books and household goods for a five-year-old girl about to be reunited with her father -- $400
A Skype-enabled tablet to enable virtual visits between a mother and her two-year-old daughter in foster care -- $178.93

Recognition

For the third year in a row, Zevenbergen Capital Investments LLC has generously agreed to match up to $1,500 in contributions to Friends of CASA. Thank you, Zevenbergen, for your continuing support.