The mission of CASA is to recruit, train and supervise court-appointed volunteer Advocates who provide constancy for abused and neglected children and youth while advocating for services and placement in safe and permanent homes. Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) began in 1977 when a judge in Seattle decided he needed to know more about the children whose lives were in his hands. He started using community volunteers – regular citizens – as a “voice in court” for abused and neglected children. These advocates 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. The first CASA program established in Texas was Dallas CASA in 1980. Today, the CASA movement has evolved into one of the largest volunteer organizations in the country. In Texas, there are 72 local CASA programs with nearly 8,500 advocates serving nearly 26,000 foster children in 211 counties. CASA of Nueces County was established in 1991 and then expanded in 2000 to cover Nueces, Aransas and San Patricio counties becoming CASA of the Coastal Bend. We currently have 82 volunteers that serve 193 children. There are still hundreds of children who do not have a CASA.