The mission of Kentucky CASA, Inc. is to present a statewide voice for abused and neglected children; enhancing the growth of and supporting existing CASA programs throughout the Commonwealth.

                •Provide technical assistance and training to local CASA programs

                •Help create new local CASA programs

                •Work with private and public sector organizations to secure funding for local programs

                •Work to raise public awareness of child abuse and the need for CASA

Kentucky CASA is part of a national volunteer movement that began over 25 years ago, when a judge in Seattle decided he needed to know more about the children whose lives were in his hands. The solution he started was using community volunteers as a "voice in court" for abused and neglected children. These Court Appointed Special Advocates™ (CASA) 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 soon spread across the nation.

Today, the CASA movement has evolved into one of the largest volunteer organizations in the country. There are more than 900 CASA programs in operation - at least one in every state - and more than 57,000 trained volunteer advocates nationwide. In fiscal year 2008 in Kentucky, 677 CASA volunteers advocated for the best interests of 2,760 children in 42 counties.

The first CASA program in Kentucky began in Louisville in 1985. Kentucky CASA, which was formed in 1998, serves the 21 local CASA programs currently operating statewide by providing: funding; training; technical assistance; coordination for program expansion and development; and tools and strategies for raising public awareness of child abuse and the need for volunteer advocates.

KENTUCKY

CASA