The heart of CASA of Laramie County is our advocates....... What can you do to make an impact? By the very nature of “volunteerism”, CASA volunteers empower themselves through their commitment of time and energy. Volunteers generally work on only one or two cases at a time and their focus gives them the ability to see and do more on behalf of and individual child.

CASA volunteers are independent of bureaucratic constraints that often keep those employed by our local institutions playing by rules that are outdated or often make less than common sense. Certainly, volunteers do not work in a vacuum. It takes the strong support and guidance of local program staff to facilitate their work. Careful screening, training, supervision, and retention are essential to assure high quality volunteer advocacy. Although paid staff plays an integral role in the coordination and management of the program, the traditional role of staff does not include routinely working cases.

CASA volunteers bring a much needed outside perspective to our court and child welfare systems so that the children served don’t have to face the court system alone! The volunteer’s lack of past experience in the system not only brings a fresh perspective to what we do, but it opens our doors to the community and helps raise public awareness of the plight of our community’s abused and neglected children.

In many cases, the CASA volunteer is the one consistent person in that child’s life. To a child, having an advocate working directly for their best interests can make all the difference. Hundreds of children across the country have been moved when understanding the notion, “you don’t get paid to do this?”, demonstrating the level of concern and commitment being made by the volunteer. Volunteers are ordinary citizens doing extraordinary work for children, and along the way bringing such passion, dedication, and effort to their work. The volunteer nature of our work is the very foundation on which the CASA program is built, and it remains the most effective and efficient mechanism to serve the greatest number of abused and neglected children well. In the over twenty-five-year history, well-trained and supervised CASA volunteers have repeatedly demonstrated their competence in providing high quality advocacy for children.

Advocate Stories

"The child that I advocate for has been moved to a treatment center out of the state.  He called me on Christmas day because he had nobody else to call."

"My CASA child lives with his Great-Grandparents, and great-grandma was recently treated for cancer.  They called me because they needed time to rest.  I then took the child out to eat.  He told me that he really wanted to see a certain movie, but was afraid that he wouldn't get the opportunity to because of how his great-grandma was feeling.  I took him to the movie and we had a great time together."

"I helped a foster mom transport two of the kids to Denver, so that they could visit their sister who they had not seen in several months.  It would not have happened otherwise."

"The teenage boy in my case wanted a bicycle so that he could ride it to school rather than walk.  His foster parent at the time was unable to buy him one.  I was able to get one donated to him."

"CASA made it possible for a family of five kids, who are in three different foster homes, to come together so that they could all spend time with one another."

"When I talked to the Mother in my case, she was excited that her kids were going to come home, but she expressed disappointment because she did not have beds for them.  I was able to acquire and give her a bunk-bed set so that they had their own beds to sleep in."

"The child that I advocate for is too young to express her wishes.  When talk started happening of moving her to a relatives house who I knew wouldn't be safe, I stood up and spoke for her.  She is currently still with the only family that she has ever known, and will soon be adopted by them."