Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA)
In 1989, Kappa Alpha Theta Fraternity adopted National CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) as its national philanthropy.
CASA volunteers are trained community volunteers who speak on behalf of abused and negleced children in court.
CASA volunteers research the child's background details to help the court make a sound decision about the child's future.
Today, there are more than 50,000 advocates serving in 948 state and local program offices nationwide. CASA programs across the country are known by several different names, including Guardian ad Litem, Child Advocates and Voices for Children. Since the inception of CASA advocacy, volunteers have helped more than 1 million children find safe, permanent homes in which they can thrive.
CASA programs can help a displaced child find the security needed to grow and reach full potential.
It's been shown that:- Children who have been assigned CASA volunteers tend to spend less time in court and in foster care than those who do not have CASA representation.
- CASA advocated children have better chances of finding permanent homes.
- CASA cases are more likely to be reviewed on a regular basis by the court.
How does Kappa Alpha Theta support CASA?
Since 1989, the Kappa Alpha Theta Foundation has provided grant support to National CASA. To date, the Foundation is proud to have contributed more than $900,000 to fund National CASA’s public awareness efforts, which include educational materials, publications, and the Kappa Alpha Theta Program Director of the Year award. Gifts from individual donors, college chapters, and alumnae chapters make the Foundation’s support of the National CASA grant possible.
Thetas are involved with CASA in many ways. Each year, Theta college and alumnae chapters host fundraisers to support their local CASA chapters. These events raise tens of thousands of dollars annually to support CASA's work.
The Eta Pi chapter of Kappa Alpha Theta supports CASA with its signature philanthropy event - KATwalk.
The Second Annual KATwalk by Eta Pi chapter was held on October 24, 2008. We raised over 2000 dollars for CASA!
More importantly, Theta members provide personal support by volunteering their time in local CASA offices, making toys or items for CASA children, hostessing events for CASA children, or assisting with CASA fundraisers. Many Thetas complete the training to become CASA volunteers themselves.
Kappa Alpha Theta has aimed to exercise the widest influence for good and to show love to others. These aspirations have given Kappa Alpha Theta a distinguished history of community service and philanthropic involvement.