Philanthropy

"To a child, having a volunteer working for them can make all the difference.  Volunteers are ordinary citizens, doing extraordinary work for children, and along the way, bringing such passion, dedication, and effort to their work"
-www.casanet.org

Since our founding, KAT has aimed to exercise the widest influence for good and to show love to others.  These aspirations have given KAT a distinguished history of community service and philanthropic involvement.

Since 1989, the focus of KAT's philanthropic work has been CASA, the Court Appointed Special Advocates program (also known around the country as Guardian Ad Litem and Pro Kids). 

The Mission of CASA is to speak for the best interests of abused and neglected children who are involved in juvenile courts.


What is CASA?

CASA volunteers are a trained community of citizens who are appointed by a judge to speak up for abused and neglected children in court.  CASA volunteers research the child's background details to help the court make a sound decision about the child's future.

The CASA program consists of 930 local programs and 46 state organizations.  In 2002 70,130 CASA volunteers served an estimated 279,160 children.

CASA programs can help a displaced child find the security needed to grow and full potential.  It's been shown that:

• Children who have been assigned CASA volunteers tend to spend less time in court and less time in foster care than those who do not have CASA representation.
• CASA advocated children have better chances of finding permanent homes.
• CASA cases are more likely to be reviewed on a regular basis by the court.

How does Theta support CASA?

Thetas are involved with CASA in many ways.  Each year, Theta college and alumnae chapters host to support their local CASA chapters.  These events raise tens of thousands of dollars annually to support CASA's work.

More importantly, theta members provide personal support by volunteering their time in local CASA offices, making toys or items for CASA children, hostessing events for CASA children, or assisting with CASA.  Many Thetas complete the training to become CASA volunteers themselves.


All information above has been taken from Kappa Alpha Theta's national website at www.kappaalphatheta.org