- The State of Tennessee- Commission on Children and Youth
- The State of Tennessee-
Office of Criminal Justice Programs
- Tennessee Bar Foundation-IOLTA program
- The National and Tennessee CASA Associations
United Way
of Wilson County
- Wilson County Government
- Smith County Government
- The City of Lebanon
- The City of Mt. Juliet
- and hundreds of community supporters.....
Why do I volunteer?
"Being a CASA is one of the most rewarding experiences I have ever undertaken. I can't express the happiness I felt the day my case ended and I heard the judge's ruling. I knew the children I had represented were going to be in a safe environment for the rest of their lives. No, it did not end the way I thought it would when I started the case, but after 8 months of representing those children it ended the way it should have, thanks to everyone involved."
~Faye Jones, Smith County
advocate since 2009
The mission of the Wilson County/Smith County Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) program is to provide specially selected and trained volunteers to speak up for abused and neglected children, one child at a time, so that each child is permitted to grow up in a safe and permanent home.
Cases are referred to the CASA programs by the Juvenile Court Judges of the respective counties, the Department of Children’s Services, and/or the Foster Care Review Board. Wilson County CASA and Smith County CASA accepts cases of physical abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, drug exposure, and other cases as the court deems necessary. It must be noted that referrals are made to the program with one type of indicated abuse and once the volunteer fully investigates he/she realizes there is further abuse.
Advocating for children who are victims of abuse or neglect can be frustrating and sometimes painful, but our volunteer advocates know that no matter how tough the case, there is always a light at the end of the tunnel. CASA volunteers do not leave the case until the child can be returned home, is adopted, or other permanent arrangements are made for the child.
Since 1987, Wilson County CASA, Inc. volunteers have provided advocacy for more than 1,100 children. In 2010, 48 CASA volunteers provided more than 1,600 hours of volunteer time serving 150 of Wilson County’s and Smith County's most defenseless children.
Wilson County/Smith County CASA is one of more than 1,000 CASA programs across the United States and internationally. The National CASA Association, headquartered in Seattle, Washington, provides technical assistance and support to local programs such as this. In addition, Wilson County CASA also receives support from the Tennessee CASA Association. The United States Department of Justice has supported CASA since 1985 through its Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. In 1991 it named CASA an "Exemplary National Program in Juvenile Delinquency Prevention."
Wilson County CASA is proud to be supported by:
About Wilson County/Smith County CASA
Wilson County | 102 E. Main St. | Lebanon | 615.443.2002 |volunteer@wilsoncountycasa.org
Smith County | 122 Turner High Circle # 103 | Carthage | 615.735.0034 |volunteer@smithcountycasa.org
mailing | PO Box 594 | Lebanon, TN 37088 | fax 615.443.2019 |www.wilsoncountycasa.org
