Mission Statement
Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Deep East Texas educates, supervises, and supports volunteer Guardian ad Litem to advocate in court for child victims of abuse and neglect, so they may live in safe, permanent homes.
History
CASA of Deep East Texas is part of a national volunteer movement that began in 1977 when Judge David Soukup in Seattle decided he needed to know more about the children whose lives were in his hands. His solution was to ask community volunteers to act as a “voice in court” for abused and neglected children. These Court Appointed Special Advocates® (CASAs) 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.
CASA of Deep East Texas was founded in 2006 by a group of citizens who saw a need CASA in the child welfare system in Nacogdoches County. CASA of Deep East Texas expanded their services to Shelby and San Augustine Counties in 2011. In 2020, CASA of Deep East Texas served 266 children in Nacogdoches, Shelby, and San Augustine counties and currently have 41 active volunteers.
CASA of Deep East Texas is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization governed by a volunteer board of directors and is a member of the National and Texas CASA Associations. There are more than 1,000 CASA programs nationwide and 72 CASA programs in the state of Texas.