Locations: 3825 Cawood Lane Springdale, AR
Phone: 479-725-2213
Website: http://www.nwacasa.org
Mission: The mission of CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) of Northwest Arkansas is to provide quality volunteer representation for abused and neglected children in the court system. Our volunteers served as voices in court for 670 foster children from Benton, Washington, Madison, and Carroll counties last year.
About:The CASA movement began in 1977 by a Seattle Superior Court Judge who was deeply concerned with the welfare of the foster children under his jurisdiction. Using volunteers to advocate on behalf of children, CASA has grown to more than 76,000 advocates in nearly 1,000 independent chapters across the country. CASA of Northwest Arkansas began in 1997 and serves more than two-thirds of the foster children in our community. With a structured growth plan, the board and staff are working toward our vision to provide a CASA to every child who needs one by 2020.
Services: In essence, CASA of Northwest Arkansas recruits, trains, and supervises volunteers who provide one-on-one advocacy for abused children and their families. Our CASA volunteers assist children by stabilizing their lives and moving them through the foster care system. CASAs are responsible for assessing the needs of the victims, making referrals for services (counseling, speech/occupational/physical therapy, educational interventions, medical and dental care) and making sure the emotional and physical needs of children are being met while in care. Ultimately, the CASAs make recommendations to the court regarding a child's permanent placement (reunification with biological family or adoption).
Volunteer Opportunities: We are currently looking for volunteer advocates who are willing to serve children from Washington, Madison, or Carroll counties (Note: you do NOT need to live in those counties in order to serve them). After background checks and 30 hours of preservice training, an average volunteer will serve 10-15 hours per month on his/her case. Volunteers may work as partners which makes this a great volunteer opportunity for married couples or close friends.
We are always looking for donors who are willing to support the amazing work of our advocates. While our CASAs are unpaid, we provide professional case workers to guide and support our volunteers throughout their service. We rely on the generosity of our entire community to make this possible.
