CASA of River Valley

The mission of CASA of River Valley is to train volunteers from the community to serve as the voice of abused and neglected children in our court system, provide needed information to the court, and help develop a more effective juvenile court process. The Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) program originated in Seattle, Wash., in 1977 by Judge David Soukup, the presiding judge of King County Superior Court. He was troubled by the small amount of time and information he was given to make decisions destined to change the lives of abused and neglected children. CASA serves as the only organization in the community that trains volunteers to be Guardians ad Litem. The court appoints these volunteers to advocate for the child’s best interest, with the goal to “Change a Child’s Story.™” In Will and Grundy Counties, hundreds of children enter the Juvenile Justice Systems every year due to abuse and neglect. CASA of River Valley helps these children recover from the traumas they’ve endured and find safe, permanent, loving homes where they can prosper. They stay with each child until his/her case is closed and the child is placed into a safe, permanent home with hope for a positive future. Since 1994, CASA has served over 3,000 children. Currently CASA is able to serve 79% of children in need. With your help, we can reach our goal of serving 100% of the abused and neglected children in need of a CASA volunteer.

CASA of River Valley is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advocating for the best interests of abused and neglected children in the judicial system of Will and Grundy Counties in Illinois. At CASA of River Valley, we recruit, train, and supervise volunteers to represent the best interests of abused and neglected children. Our Court Appointed Special Advocates act as the voices of these children, helping to navigate the juvenile court system and ensuring their needs are met. CASAs become their children’s primary sources of hope for finding safe, permanent homes. They diligently pore through case records and interview teachers, doctors and family members to piece together case history, circumstances and needs. Our CASAs understand that their volunteer work is more than a service. It’s an investment. They invest countless hours into building meaningful relationships with their children that last the duration of the juvenile court cases. As the eyes and ears of the judge, our CASAs travel more than 55,000 miles and devote more than 7,000 hours per year to helping their children heal and find hope.