National CASA History
Texas CASA is part of a national volunteer movement that began when a judge in Seattle decided he needed to know more about the children whose lives were in his hands. The solution he started was using community volunteers as a "voice in court" for abused and neglected children. These Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) volunteers provided him with the detailed information he needed to safeguard the children's best interests and ensure that they were placed in safe, permanent homes as quickly as possible. The program was so successful that it was copied around the nation. In 1990, the U.S. Congress encouraged the expansion of CASA with the passage of the Victims of Child Abuse Act.
Today, the CASA movement has evolved into one of the largest volunteer organizations in the country. There are more than 900 CASA programs in operation - at least one in every state - and more than 52,000 trained volunteer advocates nationwide.
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​Texas CASA History
The first CASA program established in Texas was Dallas CASA in 1980. Texas CASA was formed in 1989 when a passionate CASA volunteer from one of our state’s then 13 local CASA programs had the vision of a statewide hub – an organization belonging to everyone in Texas working tirelessly in pursuit of safety and advocacy for our children. That individual was our founding CEO Jane Quentan Piper, and her idea was, and is, Texas CASA. This statewide hub operates by providing: funding; training; technical assistance; coordination for program expansion and development; and tools and strategies for raising public awareness of child abuse and the need for volunteer advocates.
At the local level, each independent CASA program recruits, trains, and supervises volunteers who represent the best interests of our children in court and in the community while they remain in foster care.
Today, the CASA movement has evolved into one of the largest volunteer organizations in the country. In Texas, there are 74 local CASA programs with nearly 8,000 volunteers serving more than 18,000 foster children.
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​​CASA of Johnson County History
Our program was founded November 20, 2002 when Judge John Neill saw the need for a CASA organization in our community. Volunteers took their first case in July 2003 and have consistently served as Court Appointed Special Advocates in the court rooms of Johnson County ever since. Our kids in foster care deserve professionally trained CASA volunteers who are willing to speak to the judge on their behalf to ensure their safety and best interests are being considered while they remain in foster care. ​
