Who We Are

our mission

CASA of the Coastal Bend’s mission is to advocate for the best interest of children in Nueces and Aransas County foster care. 

our Vision

Our trained Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASAs) gather information and evaluate the needs of the children. These volunteers work collaboratively with families and other associated professionals to provide valuable information to the judge. A CASA volunteer is a consistent presence in a child’s life during the process of the case.

History

In 1977, a Seattle juvenile court judge concerned about making drastic decisions for children and their families in the child welfare system with insufficient information conceived the idea of appointing citizen volunteers to advocate for the best interests of these children in court, at school and in the community.   From that first program has grown a network of nearly 1,000 CASA and guardian ad litem programs that are recruiting, training and supporting volunteers in 49 states and the District of Columbia. 

In 1991, CASA of Nueces County was established. Ten years later, CASA expanded to cover Aransas county to become CASA of the Coastal Bend. There are currently 128 volunteers that serve 449 children in care. Our vision is a community where every child’s voice is heard in court through a CASA volunteer.  

casa national

Many of the children that CASA Volunteers work with have come from hard places of abuse and neglect. They have not formed normal attachments, have suffered trauma, and have related behavioral issues. This video explains these issues and how we work with these children.

Emily’s Dragon

Emily’s Dragon is an 8-minute film from the point of view of Emily, a child who has been removed from her home and placed in foster care. The film tells an emotional story of how a CASA volunteer can make a difference during a critical point in a child’s life.