The History of CASA
About The National CASA Organization
In 1977, a Seattle Superior Court Judge named David Soukup was concerned about trying to make decisions on behalf of abused and neglected children without enough information. He conceived the idea of appointing community volunteers to speak up for the best interests of these children in court. He made a request for volunteers; 50 citizens responded, and that was the start of the CASA movement.
Today, there are more than 50,000 advocates serving in more than 940 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 well over 1,000,000 children find safe, permanent homes in which they can thrive.
CASA of Williamson County
Our Mission Statement
The Mission of Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Williamson County is to assure a safe, permanent, nurturing home for every abused and/or neglected child by providing a highly trained volunteer to advocate for them in the court system.
CASA of Williamson County began with a collaborative initiative led by the Williamson County judges, community leaders and Texas CASA Association. An amazing hands on Board of Directors continues to lead the program under the leadership of interim President - Janet Davenport, Vice-President Billy C. Ward, Secretary Angie Harris and former Treasurer C.O. Smith. Other Board Members have been instrumental in taking us to where we are today. Williamson County, until now, was one of the largest counties in the nation without a CASA program.
The office began operations on October 1, 2009. CASA of Williamson County trained volunteers will serve as an independent voice for the best interests of dependent children -- abused, neglected, and abandoned children living in protective care -- in Williamson County, Texas. We recruit, screen and train Guardian ad Litem volunteers from communities throughout Williamson County to serve as advocates in child protection proceedings. We also support and closely supervise the advocacy work of our volunteers throughout the duration of their court assignments.
On Friday, Dec. 4, 2009 our first Court Appointed Special Advocates/Guardia ad Litem Volunteers were sworn in by Judge Mark J. Silverstone of the 425th District Court of Williamson County, Texas. These volunteers come with experience as CASA/GAL Volunteers in other regions. Congratulations to our dedicated Guardian ad Litem advocates, the first CASAs in Williamson County!