Our mission is to provide trained independent volunteers who promote and advocate for the best interests of abused and neglected children within the justice system of Kittitas County.
Our vision is a community that is aware of and committed to the efforts of Court Advocates to secure safe, permanent, and loving homes for abused and neglected children in Kittitas County.
Our Story
The CASA program began in 1977 in King County Superior Court located in Seattle, Washington, under the leadership of Presiding Judge David Soukup. By 1999, the CASA program had expanded across the United States. A national CASA association, headquartered in Seattle, provides support for its member programs throughout the country.
Kittitas County’s CASA program began in 1985 under the leadership of Kittitas County Superior Court Judge JoAnne Alumbaugh.
In many counties, the CASA program is a part of the county’s juvenile court. Kittitas County’s CASA program is truly independent of the court, being managed and administered by an independent not-for-profit agency — Court Advocates for Children for Kittitas County, located in Ellensburg.
The Honorable Judge David W. Soukup talks about how he originated the idea of court-appointed special advocates to help judges make more informed decisions about what is best for children in the dependency court system.