The “elevator pitch”
Most people don’t realize it, but the Pikes Peak region is in crisis when it comes to the prevalence and severity of child abuse and neglect. Our region receives over 13,000 reports of abuse/neglect annually – one of the highest in the state. Hundreds of kids who have been removed from their parents due to maltreatment are now caught up in the court system. Unfortunately the system isn’t always equipped to assure the child’s basic needs and rights are protected.
CASA is a simple and effective solution. A CASA volunteer (Court Appointed Special Advocate) is a trained advocate who works to make sure that the best interests of the child are always front and center. A CASA volunteer is directly empowered by the courts to provide one-to-one advocacy for abused and neglected children. A CASA’s input can make all the difference to a judge’s decision regarding how the rest of that child’s life is going to go. A child with a CASA volunteer has the best chance of thriving in the safe embrace of a loving family.
Key Talking Points
Who we are:
1. CASA stands for “Court Appointed Special Advocates” for children
2. CASA is a national organization with over 930 agencies nationwide. Our local CASA serves El Paso and Teller counties and is one of the largest and most well-respected in the nation.
3. CASA of the Pikes Peak Region recruits, trains and supports citizen-volunteers who advocate for abused and neglected children in the courts and in the community.
4. A CASA volunteer is directly empowered by the courts to provide one-to-one advocacy for abused and neglected children. The desired result is that children be placed in safe, loving homes where they can thrive.
5. Abused and neglected children need more than the foster care and child welfare system can provide. A system full of devoted and caring people that is simply too overburdened and under resourced to protect the rights and needs of vulnerable children. CASA volunteers change that. Appointed by judges, CASA volunteers typically handle just one case at a time—and commit to staying on that case until the child is placed in a safe, permanent home.
6. While others may come and go, CASA volunteers provide that one constant that children need in order to thrive.
7. In a courtroom you will see lawyers who know the law and have dozens of kids’ files, or you have social workers who know the regulations and have dozens of kids’ files. But if a CASA volunteer is in the room, you will see they have just one file, and what they know is that one child.
Why get involved?
· Our community had over 13,000 reports of abuse last year. Child abuse and neglect remains a significant issue in the Pikes Peak region.
· CASA benefits the entire community. Early intervention stops the cycle of generational abuse.
· CASA of the Pikes Peak Region serves over 400 abused children per year, but this is less than half the kids waiting for advocacy. Our Vision 2020 is to provide a trusted, empowered advocate to every child in need, every day every year.
How to Help:
· Volunteer! As a CASA volunteer, you will be able to work with competence. All volunteers are thoroughly trained and supported. Volunteering for CASA is a powerful and fulfilling experience.
· Donate: CASA is a meaningful investment in our children. Children with CASA volunteers spend 7.5 months less in foster care than children in the general foster care population. It costs the federal government $3,250 per month to keep a child in the foster care system. Every child with a CASA volunteer saves the taxpayer approximately $24,375 per year.
There are many other ways to get involved. For more information visit casappr.org or call 719-447-9898.