On May 20th Kathleen LaValle brought a message about Dallas CASA of which she is the president. CASA is the acronym for Court Appointed Special Advocates, an organization of volunteers who support children in custody issues in the court system. Many of these children live in foster homes. As Ms. LaValle reported each assigned volunteer serves as the "eyes and ears" for the judges who must determine which living environment is in "the best interest of the child."
On May 20th Kathleen LaValle brought a message about Dallas CASA of which she is the president. CASA is the acronym for Court Appointed Special Advocates, an organization of volunteers who support children in custody issues in the court system. Many of these children live in foster homes. As Ms. LaValle reported each assigned volunteer serves as the "eyes and ears" for the judges who must determine which living environment is in "the best interest of the child." With 1500 advocates, including our own Susan Fleming, Dallas CASA is the largest in the country, serving 98% of children in foster care. Federal judge Janice Jacks, presiding over a case involving the Texas CPS agency, wrote favorably about the CASA paradigm.
Children in foster care, removed from their biological parents, are at higher risk to drop out of school, experience drug abuse and teen pregnancy and sex trafficking as well as juvenile delinquency. Although CASA volunteers are motivated by altruism, their successes benefit not only their charges but also the larger society in which they live.
I have known Kathleen since she served as a law clerk to the late Robert M. Hill, one of the dearest colleagues with whom I served. Law clerks get to see a cross section of society which few experience. Most become successful lawyers, but having seen aspects which others don't they also give freely of their time and abilities serving the less fortunate. Kathleen is the epitome of this goal of addressing the needs of the vulnerable .
Watch the FULL PROGRAM here - https://youtu.be/k5ZzzSpNlYc