Washington, DC – September 14, 2021 – CASA for Children of DC has been awarded a $100,000 Awareness Grant from the National Court Appointed Special Advocate/Guardian ad Litem (CASA/GAL) Association for Children. CASA for Children of DC recruits, trains and supports specially-trained Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteers who advocate for the best interests of DC’s child welfare and justice-involved youth.
The Awareness Grant will enable CASA for Children of DC to focus on increasing the number of volunteers serving DC’s vulnerable, court-involved youth through a robust media and outreach campaign. These efforts will promote strategic volunteer recruitment, while aiming to increase overall awareness of CASA for Children of DC to both potential volunteers and stakeholders, with a goal of increasing the number of children served in the District of Columbia.
“We are so excited for this opportunity to spread awareness of the incredible opportunity for members of the DC community to provide mentorship and advocacy for DC’s youth. CASA volunteers make a tremendous impact on court-involved youth’s lives through mentorship and advocacy – with this campaign, we are hopeful to recruit more volunteers to serve in this vital role,” said Arika Adams, Executive Director of CASA for Children of DC. “It is our hope too, that with strategic outreach, we can increase volunteer diversity, to best meet the needs of our youth. The youth we serve are entirely children of color, and it empowers and inspires our youth when they have mentors who look like them.”
There are 950 state CASA/GAL organizations and local CASA/GAL programs operating in 49 states (all but North Dakota) and the District of Columbia. The federal grant funds distributed through National CASA/GAL are provided by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, US Department of Justice, as authorized under the Victims of Child Abuse Act of 1990. In 2020, National CASA/GAL was awarded nearly $13.3 million in federal grants.
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About the CASA for Children of DC
CASA for Children of DC was founded in 2002 to address the significant needs of children in the District's foster care system. Since that time, CASA DC has trained over 2000 volunteer advocates to serve over 1900 youth. In 2015, this work was successfully expanded to include juvenile justice-involved youth. CASA DC has been recognized as “One of the Best” Washington-area non-profits by the Catalogue for Philanthropy since 2016, is the recipient of a Guidestar Platinum Seal for non-profit transparency, and was recognized as a 2020 top-rated non-profit by Great Nonprofits.
CASA for Children of DC’s mission is to provide every child and young person in DC who has experienced trauma with a caring adult who will advocate for their best interests while developing a relationship of trust. CASA DC helps youth in our community thrive, not just survive.
Visit casadc.org or follow CASA for Children of DC on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/casadc and @ CASAofDC on Twitter to learn more.
About the National Court Appointed Special Advocate/Guardian ad Litem Association for Children
The National CASA/GAL Association for Children, together with its 948 state and local member programs, supports and promotes court-appointed volunteer advocacy so every abused or neglected child in the United States can be safe, have a permanent home and have the opportunity to thrive. The National CASA/GAL Association offers leadership and support to the network of programs and leads its continued growth. CASA/GAL volunteers and staff work every day to help change a child’s story. To learn more, visit nationalcasagal.org or follow National CASA/GAL on Facebook at facebook.com/NationalCASAGAL and @NationalCASAGAL on Twitter and Instagram.
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