History of CASA
In 1976, Superior Court Judge David Soukup of Seattle, WA, saw a recurring problem in his courtroom:
"In criminal and civil cases, even though there were always many different points of view, you walked out of the courtroom at the end of the day and you said, 'I've done my best; I can live with this decision," he explains.
"But when you're involved with a child and you're trying to decide what to do to facilitate that child's growth into a mature and happy adult, you don't feel like you have sufficient information to allow you to make the right decision. You can't walk away and leave them at the courthouse at 4 o'clock. You wonder, 'Do I really know everything I should? Have I really been told all the different things? Is this really right?"
To ensure he was getting all the facts and the long-term welfare of each child was being represented, Seattle Judge Soukap came up with an idea that would change America's judicial procedure and the lives of over a million children. He obtained funding to recruit and train community volunteers to step in the courtroom on behalf of the children: Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteers.
To-date, there are over 950 CASA programs nationwide and over 70,000 CASA volunteers. Thank you Judge Soukup!
CASA of Ellis County
CASA of Ellis County, Inc. is a member of Texas CASA and a member of National CASA. We have been in operation since September 2004. We desperately need more volunteers. Please consider joining our organization and become a powerful voice in a child's life.
For more information about other Texas CASA programs, please visit
www.texascasa.org
Board of Directors
Jan Fenton, President
Melissa Bousquet, Vice President
Kevin McDonnell, Treasurer
Jan Gares, Secretary
Linda Alvarez
Betty Getzendaner
Nancy Hightower
Marilyn Jones
Kay Leath
Gloria Ortiz
David Setzer, CPM
Staff
Rhodie Rawls
Executive Director
Christa Popham
Supervisor of Volunteers
Rebecca Gentry
Supervisor of Volunteers
