More than 1,377 CASA volunteers are currently helping over 3,329 Missouri kids.

 A CASA story.....

Elaine Flaherty has been a volunteer advocate since September 2001, working on five cases involving nine individual children.  When the odds were against a happy ending for a mother and her child, Elaine got involved through CASA and figured out what it would take to turn things around.

"After getting to know the mother and child, I was able to see that there was a true love connection.  The mother had been abused and out of her own home since she was 8 years old.  She hadn't had anyone to be a role model for her.  My frustration came from agencies that had already made up their mind to terminate parental rights."

The mother spent countless hours learning basic parenting skills.  With Elaine's support and encouragement, the mother has obtained a job and secured housing and medical care for her child's chronic illness.

"It's amazing how often people say 'I could never do what you do.'  What I try to explain is that CASA advocates are there to think about what's going to be best for a child who's had a hard time.  The learning of what to do becomes manageable if you care what happens to the child."

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