06/14/2022
This week, we’re proud to shine a spotlight on Dallas CASA, one of our Community Wall organizations.
We sat down with Delivery Support Senior Specialist Katie Musselman to hear more about CASA, how she got involved, and ways we can all support the organization.
Tell us about CASA.
The mission of Dallas CASA is to advocate in the community and the courtroom for children in the protective care of the state so they can grow up in safe, permanent homes where they can thrive. Dallas CASA volunteers, referred to as Court Appointed Special Advocates or CASAs, are voices for abused and neglected children in court, trained to gather information and make recommendations that help judges decide the best possible outcome for children in foster care.
In practice, this looks like visiting the child(ren) on my assigned case monthly, performing regular educational and medical advocacy, communicating with Child Protective Services and attorneys involved in the case, and participating in hearings and other legal proceedings by providing recommendations to help inform the court’s decision-making.
When did you first hear about CASA? How long have you been involved?
I first heard about CASA from a family friend who has been involved in CASA for several years. I have always enjoyed hearing about the work CASA was doing for children in foster care. When I first started at Sendero, a couple people from my start group were going through training to become a CASA and their encouragement was the final push I needed to commit. I officially became a CASA about three years ago!
