CASA of the 2nd Judicial District of Arkansas

During the mid-1990s, a judge and a group of community people believed an organization was needed in Northeast Arkansas to provide advocacy services for abused and neglected children. Court Appointed Special Advocate, or CASA, of the 2nd Judicial District of Arkansas was formed.

It’s one of more than 939 CASA programs nationwide that operate in 49 states. There are an estimated 79,000 CASA volunteers nationwide.

“CASA works closely with court personnel, DCFS [Department of Children and Family Services] case workers and program assistants, foster parents, attorneys and more to ensure the most amount of information possible is gathered and provided to the court,” Executive Director Angie Tate said. “We have a team of more than 100 volunteer advocates dedicated to making positive, lasting impacts on the lives of children in our communities. Approximately 88% of clients served last year were from at or below federal poverty households.”

Craighead, Greene, Clay, Poinsett, and Mississippi counties are covered by the organization. The majority of families assigned to CASA qualify for benefits from state and federal governments. Children who are assigned a CASA advocate stay, on average, four less months in foster care, achieve at higher grade levels in school, and are 65% less likely to re-enter foster care in the future, Tate said.

Since 2017, the program has served 1,000 children. In 2023, CASA advocates aided 266 children traumatized by family separation and abuse and neglect, Tate said.

“Our volunteers donated 2,509 hours of direct advocacy to children in foster care and traveled over 35,000 miles to serve the 2nd Judicial District of Arkansas,” she said. “We have successfully been able to grow our retention rate of volunteers from 56% to 82%.”

Building Better Futures is one program the organization offers. It provides six skills classes with aging youth in the foster care system. CASA spearheaded these classes by planning content, provided for the children, and facilitated the guest speakers. Housekeeping and home making skills are among those shared with participants.

“The children were presented with new orientation information regarding the benefits they had access to through the Department of Child and Family Services’ Transitional Youth Services. By being a child in foster care of the ages between 15 and 21, children have access to financial, social, and educational support helping them to transition into adulthood,” Tate said. “We were able to provide six housewarming baskets with items such as sheets, towels, cleaning products, and food. Each of the six youths were given a budget and made decisions about what they would be essential in starting their new home.”

Editor’s note: This company is a finalist for the Northeast Arkansas Outstanding Business Awards — Nonprofit Business category. Winners will be announced at a luncheon on April 15. Contact Rob Gutterridge at rgutterridge@nwabj.com for tickets.