Hello. My name is Mike Perino, president of CASA.

CASA is about adults speaking up for kids who have been hurt. It's about making sure those kids are safe andhave their childhoods back. It's about not remaining silent in the face of violence and neglect perpetrated on our children.

In 1976, concerned over making decisions about abused and neglected children's lives without sufficient information, a Seattle judge conceived the idea of using trained community volunteers to speak for the best interests of these children in court, helping to ensure that they will live in a safe and loving environment. So successful was this Seattle program, that soon judges across the country began utilizing citizen advocates. In 1990, the U.S. Congress encouraged the expansion of CASA/GAL (Guardian ad Litem) programs with passage of the Victims of Child Abuse Act. Today, more than 948 CASA/GAL programs operate in 49 states, with more than 70,000 men and women serving as CASA/GAL volunteers.

Please explore becoming a CASA/GAL volunteer. Meet an actual volunteer in this section and then please visit our web site.

Thank you,
Mike Perino