History
How CASA began
The Court-Appointed Special Advocates program began over 30 years ago in Seattle when Judge David Soukup recruited friends to become involved in his CPS cases. Judge Soukup felt he was making life-altering decisions without enough information, so he instructed this group of friends to gather information and report back to him.
This informal arrangement became a formal program we know today as the Court Appointed Special Advocates, or CASA, program. There is now at least one CASA program in every state with over 900 local programs nationwide.
The National CASA program is still based in Seattle where it all began, and offers training and support to state and local CASA programs.
CASA in Texas
Texas CASA was founded in 1989 and serves the local programs scattered througout the state. Texas CASA's purpose is to provide training and technical assistance to local programs. They also work diligently to start new local CASA programs, or help existing programs expand into new areas. This is how the Cross Timbers program came into being.
Local beginnngs
In 2002 a group of Erath County citizens contacted Texas CASA, interested in bringing the CASA organization to their county. After that first meeting, a charter board was formed, who hired an executive director. The ED recruited the program's first three advocates, and they all attended training and began working cases.
CASA for the Cross Timbers Area, Inc. has grown from a one-person staff with a small office to a 4-person staff with a presence in five counties. The Cross Timbers program now encompasses Erath (2002), Hamilton (2003), Bosque (2003), Palo Pinto (2005) and Eastland (2005) Counties. Offices are maintained full-time in Stephenville and Mineral Wells and part time in Eastland.
OUR MISSION:
The mission of CASA for the Cross Timbers Area Inc. is to train and supervise community volunteers to be a voice for abused and neglected children who are in the court system. CASA for the Cross Timbers Area, Inc. believes that each child has a right to a safe, loving, and permanent home. We train and supervise community volunteers to speak out for the best interests of abused and neglected children in court proceedings so that they can be permanently placed in a nurturing environment as quickly as possible.