Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) are community volunteers who work one-on-one with children and youth in the foster care and/or juvenile probation systems. CASA volunteers devote a few hours a week getting to know one child and gathering information from everyone involved in the child's life. Volunteers are part of a team that works for the best interests of the child.
CASA of Santa Cruz County recruits, screens, trains, matches, and supervises these volunteer Advocates to be the voice of our community's youth in the Santa Cruz County Court System. Advocates get to know their child’s situation and needs, help caregivers access resources to meet those needs, and advocate for the child’s best interests in Court, community, and school settings.
News & Events
As a new school year begins, CASA of Santa Cruz County is expanding its commitment to to the most vulnerable children of our community by stepping into a new role: supporting students and their families involved in Truancy Court.
As summer unfolds, youth in our community are facing more challenges than ever, especially those who are part of LGBTQ+ and immigrant communities. Every day, our Advocates show up with open hearts, listening, supporting, and standing by their side. These young people continue to inspire us with their resilience, determination, and hope for the future.
Michele McKee always knew she wanted to work with children. She once planned to use her teaching credential in the classroom, but life took her in another direction. Still, the desire to support young people never left her. After retiring from a long career in accounting and working part-time at Recovery Café San Jose, she knew it was time to follow through on something that had been in her heart for years. “If I’m not going to do it now,” she had said to herself, “it’s never going to happen.” So she signed up to become a CASA Advocate and has never looked back.
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