The holiday season brings with it the joy of giving, and we hope you will join us in sharing that […]
Starting a new school year is a significant milestone for any student, but for those in foster care, it comes […]
“Reunifying children back with a parent is one of the best possible outcomes in dependency neglect cases because when that […]
Every year in April, you can find pinwheels throughout Northwest Arkansas (and across the nation!) spinning brightly in spring winds. […]
It’s February and love is in the air! From boxes of chocolates and bouquets of roses to heart-shaped cards and […]
Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do. – Steve […]
October is here! It’s finally (and hopefully) time for cooler weather, corn mazes, pumpkin carving, warm drinks, and sleeping with […]
Earlier this summer several of our staff and board members had the opportunity to travel to St. Louis for the […]
Types of Foster Care Placements Foster care is a crucial safety net for children unable to live with their birth […]
Unassuming Heroes: Crystal’s Twenty-Year Anniversary at CASA of Northwest Arkansas Crystal Vickmark has been an integral part of the business […]
What Makes an Older Youth Specialist at CASA? CASA of NWA created the Older Youth Specialist role in 2013 after […]
This months blog post comes from Sadie Perkins, one of our two Advocate Supervisors that are trained as TBRI (Trust-Based Relational […]
25 Years of CASA Volunteers “It will be hard, and I hope I can handle it. It will be […]
Back to School in Foster Care Take a moment to think about your experience in school. Now try to […]
Gaining Valuable Insight at the 2022 National CASA/GAL Conference At CASA of Northwest Arkansas, we are constantly learning; whether it be one […]
LGBTQI+ Youth in the Foster Care System Pride Month is about recognizing our collective humanity, where everyone is treated equally […]
Foster Care And Five Things You Can Do CASA of NWA May 2022 In observance of National Foster Care Month […]
For Social Work Month, we asked our licensed social workers, Shelley, Tara, and Abra to share a little bit about […]
The year was 1997. Jewel and Backstreet Boys were at the top of the charts. Ally McBeal and Buffy debuted on television. You […]
From the number of staff to the counties we serve to additional programs to meet the needs of our community, here […]
You know what a CASA volunteer does: she/he advocates in court for the best interests of the children on their […]
One of the areas where a CASA can make a huge and lasting difference in the life of a child, […]
Education is the great equalizer. Shared often by one of her former principals, that paraphrase remains top of mind for […]
As reunification is always the initial focus of the case, CASA volunteers play a vital role in not only advocating […]
Reunification can be hard to understand, and many CASA volunteers are unsure about working with parents when they take their […]
Being in foster care can be overwhelming for children and parents for many reasons. One of those reasons is the […]
When a call is made to the child abuse hotline, the hotline operator must decide if there is enough information […]
The key to prevention is knowledge. Here are some tips taken from the Child Welfare Information Gateway’s Prevention Resource Guide […]
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A new advocate is assigned a single case. That case may include one child or a sibling group. If an […]
Absolutely! Many of our volunteers have full-time jobs and families. Most of the CASA’s duties are carried out on their […]
High school sweethearts. Arkansas alumni. Accountants. Parents. In 2016, Kristi and Jeff added CASA advocates to their titles and accomplishments. […]
Arkansas law is clear that the preferred placement for a child in foster care is with relatives. Studies show that […]
Absolutely not! Most of our 410 advocates have no formal legal training whatsoever. We often get asked, “Who makes the […]
Every child in foster care will have a fierce and skilled CASA champion by their side. That’s our vision. But […]
Five years ago, CASA of Northwest Arkansas set a very important goal: to provide a CASA to every child in […]
For many teenagers, graduating from high school is a given. It’s an important step before they head to college or […]
The goal of a foster care case is set by the court, specifically the presiding juvenile judge. With very few […]
Once a CASA graduates from training, they will meet with their assigned supervisor. The supervisor will review the list of […]
What’s it like to advocate for a child in foster care during a pandemic? According to CASA James Curtis, what […]
It’s so important for our community to come together (virtually) during this difficult time. Here are some resources we’ve found […]
When looking for adaptable, caring, and supportive volunteers, CASA won the lottery with Susan Hantz. A retired nursing professor, Susan […]
When planning to retire in the Ozarks, Joe Bebout knew he wanted to invest in volunteering. Little did he know […]
Protector. Constant. Honest. These are the words that come to mind when thinking of CASA volunteer Debbie Torres. Debbie’s always […]
Phil Keene is a busy guy: full-time job at Walmart, married with kids, vestry member for St. Paul’s Episcopal Church […]
Shelley joined CASA of Northwest Arkansas as a Volunteer Coordinator (the position we now call Advocate Supervisor) after leaving DHS […]
In just a few weeks, six of our teens in foster care will start anew. They will head across town […]
The year was 2004. Arbor Buchanan had left her post as a foster care caseworker for the Department of Human […]
Driving to her first CASA training class, Tiajuana Gough was so nervous she thought about turning around. As she reached […]
When your best friend calls you at 6 a.m. and invites you to a 7:30 a.m. breakfast at the JQ […]
When people think of volunteering, they often think of helping out for a few hours at the local animal shelter […]
Only 58% of teens in foster care will graduate high school by age 19*. Don’t tell that to the six […]
For more than a decade, General Mills has been investing locally in the CASA movement. Our partnership has grown as […]
Emily Bost may be small in stature, but she has one of the biggest hearts out there. From registered nurse to […]
Did you know that donating appreciated property, such as a gift of stock, to charity can generate a double tax […]
It was 2003. In Northwest Arkansas, there were 699 children in foster care. CASA of NWA was a young nonprofit, […]
Across Benton, Washington, Madison, and Carroll counties, there were 5,312 investigations of child maltreatment last year¹. We wanted to honor […]
Dustin Demoin has multiple graduate degrees, but none in law or social services. So, how does an adjunct lecturer in […]
Each year, the Arkansas Department of Human Services Division of Children and Family Services produces an annual report card. The […]
Each year, CASA of Northwest Arkansas works hard to bring holiday cheer to our children in care. With the help […]
Kemetric Bailey joined our corps of nearly 300 volunteers in April 2017. When she moved to Northwest Arkansas in 2010, […]
Light of Hope is a national movement to light a symbol of hope for abused and neglected children who are […]
To reach our lofty goal of serving every child in need by 2020, we knew we needed to expand our […]
To most, Nene Weaver appears as a loving wife and dedicated mother to two children. That she is. But, to […]
Since launching in 2015, the CASA license plates have generated enough revenue to provide a CASA volunteer to a foster […]
The nonprofit world relies heavily on our for profit partners. Not just for corporate sponsorships – albeit those are important […]
“I help abused and neglected children in my spare time, what do you do?” A bumper sticker with those very […]
In March, six members of the CASA of Northwest Arkansas staff joined approximately 1,200 people from across the nation for […]
Getting a foster child therapy is a collaborative effort. The judge orders it, the DHS coordinates it, the foster family […]
Board member Chris Mitchell opened the evening by recognizing the enormous sacrifice our volunteers make in order to serve. Benton […]
Another year has passed and another AMAZING Light of Hope has come and gone. On November 17, 2016, more than […]
In 2017, CASA of Northwest Arkansas will celebrate 20 years of advocating for abused and neglected children in our region! […]
In Northwest Arkansas alone, nearly 600 children are in care right now. Numbers like that can be somewhat intimidating and […]
The holiday season kicked off in early December with the annual Area 1 Christmas Party graciously sponsored by Fast Lane […]
A little over a year ago, Thad Crawford attended CASA of Northwest Arkansas’s Light of Hope breakfast. The timing couldn’t […]
Crystal Vickmark has been appointed by the National Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) Association as a member of its newly […]
Only 58% of teens in foster care will graduate high school by age 19*. When peers outside of the system graduate […]
Dedication and passion. In their Statement of Business Conduct, Paramount and its parent company Viacom list dedication and passion as […]
According to Becky Richards, she has always been advocating for children. She may not have always been heard, but she […]
To help paint the picture of the foster care system and the unique needs of the brave children we serve, […]
Angela Terrazas, of Ink & Thread Creations, wanted to do more. Having been a donor of CASA of Northwest […]
If you are an advocate or have considered becoming one, you have crossed paths with Ms. Arbor Buchanan. Arbor, our […]
Committed to nourishing lives and communities, General Mills embraces philanthropy throughout their business model. There are few lives in Northwest Arkansas […]
When you meet CASA advocate Linda Cudney, it is hard not to be inspired. She describes herself as a wife […]
CASA of Northwest Arkansas has been serving foster teens since its inception in 1997. In 2013, we created the Older Youth […]
On November 18th, 770 guests came together for the Light of Hope breakfast in Rogers and 280 for the luncheon […]
Springdale, Ark., June 22, 2014 – Since June 2013, more than 500 abused and neglected children in Northwest Arkansas were […]
Lowell, AR | June 20, 2014 – More than 400 local foster children living in Benton, Washington, Madison and Carroll […]
CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) of Northwest Arkansas is pleased to be the recipient of a grant from The Bank […]
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CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) of Northwest Arkansas held it’s annual Celebration of Success Thursday, May 9th at St. Anthony’s […]
Springdale, AR – CASA of Northwest Arkansas is honored to recognize Susan Duke as a dedicated CASA volunteer advocate for […]
As CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) of Northwest Arkansas marks its 13th year serving abused and neglected children in foster […]
