CASA

In Spanish, casa means "home."
In today's juvenile justice system, CASA refers to a Court Appointed Special Advocate--a trained community volunteer appointed by a judge to represent the best interests of abused and neglected children in court.

Today, 52,000 people nationwide are speaking up for these children as Court-Appointed Special Advocates--CASA Volunteers. CASA Volunteers are well-trained community members who are assigned by a District Court Judge to represent the best interests of children whose cases are before the court. CASA volunteers serve as the "eyes and ears" of the judge, gathering relevant information about the child and the family. They interview anyone who might have information about the case; parents, foster parents, relatives, teachers, doctors, and most importantly, the child. They then make recommendations to the judge regarding what is in the child's best interests.

A CASA volunteer works to ensure that the child is placed in a safe, permanent, nurturing home as quickly as possible.

Visit the National CASA web site for more information about CASA.

Missoula is a city in Missoula County, Montana. With a population of close to sixty thousand, it is the second largest city in the state of Montana.

It is the city in Montana with the most media companies, and also home of the University of Montana. Find cheap car insurance if you are a student headed to the university.