Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of New Hampshire is a nonprofit that recruits, trains, and supports community volunteers to serve as advocates for children throughout the state who have experienced abused or neglect. CASA volunteer advocates get to know a child and the important people in that child’s life to provide vital information to help a judge make decisions based on the best interests of the child.
CASA advocates truly change a child’s story.
Since CASA was founded in 1989, we have given more than 10,000 New Hampshire children a voice in District and Family courts and a chance at a brighter future.
I attended many of the CASA annual celebrations over my 14 years with the organization. Before CoVid, the room was always filled with folks who passionately believed that a child's voice needs to be heard. It was an evening of doing what we all do best - talking about the kiddos. It was also an evening of hearing from Marty and her crew about the amazing job all of us were doing. CoVid changed the way we partied but Marty and her crew made sure that CoVid did not take away the opportunity to say thanks for all the hours and all the miles and all the soul-deep advocacy given by the CASA GALs and all who support our mission. Thank you Marty for your tireless leadership. The abused and neglected kiddos of NH have a fighting chance because over 30 years ago you saw a need and you filled it. I love you all. I miss you all. Chris McCarthy
Hi Deb, the money that CASA raises is used to for the recruitment, training and ongoing direct support of volunteers who work directly with children who've come to the attention of the courts because they were abused or neglected by their parents or caregivers. Our volunteers meet with the children at least once a month, they talk with the child's parents, foster parents, school teachers, extended family -- whomever is important in that child's life to understand as much about the child's life as possible, and they write court reports and attend court hearings to speak in person about what the child's wants and needs are. The volunteers are assigned a program manager - a member of CASA's staff - to provide the one-on-one support they need to perform this role effectively. The volunteers are also provided regular ongoing training to make sure they have the tools and resources they need to speak up for what's in the best interests of the children they are assigned to work with.
