History of CASA of Atlantic and Cape May Counties
CASA was founded in 1 995 by a woman grieving the death of a foster child who once resided in her home. Having seen first hand the shortcomings of the system, she was compelled to do something to save other children from similar fates. CASA became an independent 501(c)3 organization and expanded the program to include Cape May County in 2001. As a member of the National CASA Association, CASA is authorized under the New Jersey State Statute and Court Rule to represent the needs and best interests of children in the foster care system (this authorization does not include funding), and to act as a "friend to the court.” It is regarded as Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) Best Practice to have a CASA program operating within the Vicinage.
Currently, over 700 children in Atlantic and Cape May County Child Welfare Systems are eligible for our services. The children range in age from birth to 19 and come from many ethnic backgrounds including 48% Caucasian, 25% African American, 14% Hispanic/Latino and 5% multi-racial (8% unreported).
History of National CASA
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 independently investigate the cases, make recommendations, and speak up in court about what was in the best interest of the child. He made a request for volunteers; 50 citizens responded, and that was the start of the CASA movement. News of the success of Judge Soukop’s experiment spread like wildfire and CASA programs sprang up all over the United States. Currently there are over 1,000 CASA Programs throughout the United States and CASA volunteers have helped more than 2 million children find safe, permanent homes in which they can thrive.