Fort Bend Lifestyles and Homes Magazine Mar 2010: Lt. Govenor Dewhurst will "Speak Up" for Little Texans

first line of defense, attending and reporting to the judge at all hearings while working alongside Child Protective Services (CPS), judges, attorneys, foster families, mental health professionals and others who are invested in the child ’s welfare. CASA volunteers also work to find services (medical, psychological, educational) to best fit the child ’s individual needs.

While state leaders such as Dewhurst have

worked tirelessly to appropriate funding for local CASA programs, only one in two children are fortunate enough to be paired with a CASA advocate. To enhance awareness of the need for more volunteer advocates, Texas CASA launched “Your License to Care,” a license plate that takes the volunteer message out on the roads while generating funds to help CASA recruit and train more volunteers. To order a plate online, visit www.becomeacasa.org.

Shown (l-r) are: Joe Gagen, Texas CASA chief executive officer; Andrea Sparks, Texas CASA director of public policy and outreach; Lt. Governor David Dewhurst with his CASA license plate; and Carol and Tom Holton, long-time volunteers for Child Advocates of Fort Bend. CAFB has been working very closely with Texas CASA on the legislative agenda. Tom Holton is chair of Texas CASA ’s Legislative Advocacy Focus Group.

To recognize Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst’s efforts to improve Texas’ child welfare system, Dewhurst was presented with a specialty CASA license plate in December by Texas CASA and Child Advocates of Fort Bend.

Texas CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) is the statewide association of CASA programs that recruit volunteers to advocate for the best interests of abused and neglected children in the court system. CAFB is the local CASA program

“The CASA network is one of the largest, most critical volunteer organizations in Texas, and each year thousands of abused and neglected children rely on CASA volunteers to help them find safe, permanent homes, ” said Dewhurst. “Texas’ most precious resource is its children, and I am honored to support CASA and the volunteers dedicated to little Texans who are often unable or afraid to speak for themselves. ”

“We are honoring the Lieutenant Governor because he is one of the biggest voices for children at the State Capitol, ” said Joe Gagen, chief executive officer of Texas CASA. “CASA’s lifeblood is its volunteer force and he was instrumental in securing additional funding to recruit, train and supervise hundreds of child advocate volunteers in Fort Bend, Harris and Montgomery counties as well as all over the state. ”

Each year, there are more than 44,000 children in state custody due to abuse and neglect. CASA volunteers serve as the child ’s