CASA of West Central Illinois Receives National Grant

By - Kelly Price, Executive Director CASA West Central Illinois

CASA of West Central Illinois has been awarded a $40,000 Volunteer Recruitment Grant from the National Court Appointed Special Advocate/Guardian ad Litem (CASA/GAL) Association. CASA of West Central Illinois recruits, trains and supports volunteers who advocate for the best interests of children who are involved in judicial proceedings related to abuse or neglect. Volunteer advocates are trained to support children through regular visits, information gathering, court reporting and continuous case monitoring until the child/youth has a permanent home, preferably with their family of origin whenever safely possible.

The National CASA/GAL Volunteer Recruitment Grant will enable CASA of West Central Illinois to focus on recruiting volunteers to advocate on behalf of the over 416 children in foster care in the five counties it serves. CASA of West Central Illinois provides advocacy for children in Fulton, Henderson, Knox, McDonough, and Warren Counties. Many more volunteers are needed to provide this vital service and ensure all children in care have an advocate.

“We are so excited to have been awarded this grant from the National CASA/GAL Association. Volunteer CASAs are so vital to a child who has experienced abuse and/or neglect. CASAs serve as a supportive, consistent adult in the child’s corner, providing best-interest, educational, and health and well-being advocacy. They also serve as their voice in the courtroom. No special background is needed to volunteer as a CASA, only a desire to help create better outcomes for children in foster care. All training is provided and volunteers are supported by the CASA staff. The more volunteers on our team, the more children we can serve. We believe every child deserves a voice in the courtroom!” said Kelly Price, Executive Director of CASA of West Central Illinois.

There are 939 CASA/GAL state organizations and local programs operating in 49 states and the District of Columbia. This funding is provided under the OJJDP FY24 Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) Training, Technical Assistance, and Subgrants Program (CFDA #16.756) to manage a national grant awards program on behalf of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) primarily for the purpose of increasing the number Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA)/Guardian ad Litem (GAL) volunteers to advocate for the best interest of children who have experienced abuse or neglect and are the subject of civil court child abuse and neglect proceedings. National CASA/GAL administers the grants program under a cooperative agreement with OJJDP which is authorized pursuant to the Victims of Child Abuse Act, 34 USC §20323.