Friends,
Fifteen years. CASA volunteers have been advocating for the best interest of children, in out of home placement, as a result of abuse and/or neglect for a decade and a half in Lancaster County.
A few months ago, I was kindly celebrated as having served as the Executive Director of CASA of Lancaster and Lebanon Counties since the program’s inception. Again, on November 11, 2009, we celebrated the fifteenth anniversary of the our very first class of eleven CASA volunteers.
The newspaper clipping that pictures our inaugural class and the three judges present to perform the swearing-in of eleven new CASA volunteers, the pioneers of our program, proudly hangs on my office wall - in my line of sight, so I am reminded daily of the incredible individuals who helped to start this program.
Today marks another significant milestone. It was on this day in 2010 that the very first CASA volunteer in Lancaster County was appointed to a case. The case involved four young children, all under the age of 7, all victims of domestic violence and neglect. The same CASA advocated for those children for two years, a consistent compassionate presence, ensuring best interest advocacy, until permanency was achieved. Throughout 2010, the first class of CASAs was joined by a second and then a third - together they advocated for 42 children that year.
Since that time, I am so proud that 475 community members have dedicated themselves to join the original class of 11 CASA volunteers, and together 486 CASAs have advocated on behalf of 1,144 children. Throughout the years, we have learned from our CASA volunteers, we have listened to the community and to our stakeholders; and as a result, we have strived to continuously better ourselves in order to provide exceptional best-interest advocacy to every child who is appointed a CASA volunteer.
Leading this organization and seeing, firsthand, the incredible positive impact our CASA volunteers can have on the lives of children is, without a doubt, a great privilege of my life, second only to raising my own two girls.
If you are receiving this, you are a part of our journey whether as a CASA volunteer, a financial supporter, and/or a friend - I thank you. Please join us in celebrating this milestone, keep an eye out for opportunities throughout the year.
With gratitude,
Jessica L. Laspino, Executive Director
