As Josh Shipp said, “Every kid is one caring adult away from being a success story.”

CASA of Midwest Tennessee is a 501(c)3 nonprofit group affiliated with Tennessee CASA and the National CASA GAL organizations, and we’re mighty grateful to TCCY (Tennessee Commission of Children and Youth) for a part of the funding needed to operate our local CASA program.

If you’ve been keeping up with our CASA, you’ll remember that we started under the umbrella of Dyer-Lake CASA in 2019. Then, we started our own CASA program just as COVID rocked our world so we had to do things differently to ensure the children were served well. In early 2023, we built CASA of Midwest Tennessee to serve abused and neglected children in Gibson County and added Carroll County. Then, a new transition knocked on our door again. We gladly handed the baton over to Henderson County CASA so that they can serve Carroll County, and we can focus on the inordinate amount of children in need in Gibson County. The children who’ve been abused and neglected, no fault of their own, need our focus, consistency, dedication, stability, and our CASA love, and you can help us change a child’s story.

As you may know, CASA recruits, carefully screens, trains, and supervises volunteers to become Court Appointed Special Advocates for children who have been abused and neglected. CASA volunteers advocate for the best interests of the child with the goal of securing a safe, loving permanent home where the children can thrive.

Tennessee state law allows Juvenile Court Judges to appoint CASA volunteers to “speak up” for the child’s best interests.

Most CASA volunteers advocate for only one child, or a family of children, at a time, but we need more volunteer advocates because not all children are being served at this time. In fact, we are only serving about 30% of the children who have a case open in Gibson County Juvenile Court. Children in foster care need someone to step up for them, and you may be just the one to make a difference for a child.

What impact does CASA have? We have a proven record showing that children who had a CASA Volunteer are safer, healthier, and better educated. Our statistics are impeccable in that we have risen above the state data outputs. Our fearless state leader, Executive Director Lynne Farrar brags–with right–that 98% of CASA children have the same volunteer throughout their case, and 98% of children served by CASA remain safe six months after their case closes (across this great state).

Our CASA has an even higher safety rate, with only 1% returning to court for abuse or neglect issues, compared to 16% of children in the broader child welfare system. And it’s with great pleasure that I can share that 99% of CASA children have had the same volunteer throughout their case (with CASA of Midwest Tennessee since December 2019). This highlights the consistency and stability that CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) volunteers provide as a trusted adult in the children’s lives. With the fear of potential or actual removal from their home and the changes in placements (3 days here, a week over there, etc.) and the transitions with case-workers who are overworked and underappreciated, we work diligently against retraumatizing children with more instability.

Want more information about volunteering? Click here