Welcome to Court Appointed Special Advocates of Grayson County

About CASA

 

A judge in Seattle originated the CASA concept.  Realizing that he was overwhelmed by the number of children's cases before him, he organized a group of court-sponsored volunteers to gather information and make recommendations leading to better judgments for individual children.  Given the name CASA, the program met and then exceeded expectations.  Other judges and cities took notice and CASA began to spread nationwide - court by court, child by child.

CASA of Grayson County was one of those.  Judge Lloyd Perkins of the 59th District Court felt the need in his courtroom.  So did 15th District Judge Jim Fry and 336th District Judge Ray Grisham.  In late 1992, Carolyn Fields, Ginny Jones, Judy McGraw and Mary Green became the driving forces for bringing child advocate resources to Grayson County.

Read "The Case of Mary Ellen" or "Still Without a Voice", two stories about the development of the CASA program.

  •   Today, the United States has grown to a network of more than 60,000 volunteers that serve 240,000 abused and neglected children through 954 local program offices nationwide.  Statewide, a child averages 24-27 months in foster care; when a CASA is assigned, time spent in foster care is reduced to an average of 11-15 months.  CASA saves the State of Texas millions of dollars for children not in extended foster care and the unpaid services of trained volunteers.

 

  •     There were 1,496 reports of child abuse in Grayson County in 2008. Of those, 340 local children were confirmed as victims of abuse or neglect.  279 children were in CPS custody and 207 of those children were placed in foster care.

  •  In calendar year 2008, CASA of Grayson County served 242 abused and neglected children.  Of those, our advocates assisted with 29 becoming adopted, 40 being placed with family members 42 returning to their parents once the home was safe.

Local CASA Staff

The CASA of Grayson County, Inc. office is staffed by highly dedicated and trained personnel.  These include Executive Director Jana Garner, Program Manager Hayley Davis, Casework Supervisors Judy McGraw, Pam Silva and Shane Hill.  Visit the contact page for more information.