We want to THANK YOU for your generous support helping us fulfill our mission of being a strong voice for the best interests of vulnerable children who have been removed from their homes or are under court supervision due to abuse, neglect, or abandonment.

Her mother died after delivery, and her father had a substance abuse disorder and was hospitalized for suicidal ideations.

Cassie was placed in a foster home.

Sandra was appointed as her CASA.

Cassie started life as a 5 lb 8 oz premature infant and would eventually be diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy at the age of 1. 

Sandra helped her foster parents (who eventually adopted her) navigate through her medical issues and move forward to not only provide Cassie with an enormous amount of love; but to be able to give her the ongoing resources and services she will need to grow and thrive.

In recent years, CASA has received a growing number of cases of youth who only speak Spanish. Having entered the US with no support networks, unfamiliar with supportive services, struggling to maintain housing and employment, and uncertain of their future, they end up in the foster care system. 

Unable to recruit a sufficient number of Spanish-speaking volunteers, we decided to teach our current volunteers the language. Support from donors like you have paid for an instructor to provide beginner and intermediate level Spanish language classes for our staff and volunteers. 

CASA Volunteers Jill Hoffman and Jennifer Randolph, currently in the intermediate classes, indicate that these Spanish lessons allow them to feel more comfortable communicating with their CASA youth who only speak Spanish. By participating in the Spanish classes they are able to discuss specific topics and issues in order to provide advocacy and mentoring services to some of our most vulnerable youth.

We strive to have each and every youth’s best interests represented by a strong voice before the Family Court. Donors like you  make it possible for us to fulfill our mission regardless of any language barriers.

Fostering Futures is a hallmark program of our organization. Other NJ CASA programs, as well as programs across the US, have modeled our curriculum and protocols. We train volunteers to serve as advocates and mentors to prepare youth ages 14-21 for independent living prior to aging-out of the foster care system. These youth are some of NJ’s most vulnerable, having been uprooted from foster home to foster home, resulting in lost connections.

With your support, we were able to host a group of our Fostering Futures youth and their advocates for an afternoon of bowling, good food, arcade games, and camaraderie!  

More importantly, the bowling event provided some hours of normalcy, where all “foster care” related matters were forgotten. 

All had the opportunity to socialize with others who had similar life experiences. Some exchanged phone numbers and social media information to stay connected. Two teens who met at a previous shelter placement reconnected. 

CASA knows that fun activities are as equally important as providing therapeutic services to managing the mental health of youth in foster care. Donors like you make it possible for CASA to provide these activities that so many teens take for granted.