Mission Statement
To be an independent voice for children who have been removed from their homes due to abuse and/or neglect in Cameron and Willacy Counties.
Vision
To find a safe and permanent home for abused and/or neglected children.
Values
Integrity = Adhering to the principles of the organization
- Being honest
- Being reliable, accountable, consistent
Commitment = Building a legacy of positive achievement
- Demonstrating loyalty
- Pursuing a shared vision
- Demonstrating a mutual desire to succeed
Professionalism = Maintaining a standard of excellence
- Building individual and organizational skills and knowledge
- Being responsible for effective performance
- Exhibiting leadership through our actions, words, and appearance
Compassion = Nurturing a caring environment
- Acting in an open nonjudgmental fashion
- Acknowledging the needs of others
- Embracing change, challenge, and diversity
History
CASA is part of a national volunteer movement that began in 1977 when Judge David Soukup in Seattle decided he needed to know more about the children whose lives were in his hands. His solution was to ask community volunteers to act as a “voice in court” for abused and neglected children. These Court Appointed Special Advocate® (CASAs) provided him with the detailed information he needed to safeguard the children’s best interests and ensure that they were placed in safe, permanent homes as quickly as possible. The program was so successful that it was copied around the nation.
CASA of Cameron and Willacy Counties has continued to serve abused and neglected children in Texas by providing trained community volunteers to be a voice for children within the courts.
CASA of Cameron and Willacy Counties is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization governed by a volunteer board of directors.
CASA of Cameron and Willacy Counties is a member of the National and Texas CASA Associations. There are more 1,000 CASA programs nationwide and 71 CASA programs in the state of Texas.
