Nonprofit of the Year Finalist | Medium: CASA of Southwest Missouri

It’s been over a year since Court Appointed Special Advocates of Southwest Missouri moved to a new, larger headquarters at the intersection of Glenstone Avenue and Chestnut Expressway. Laura Farmer, the nonprofit’s executive director, says over that time, the volume of children the nonprofit serves has grown exponentially – far surpassing estimates.

“When we were envisioning that facility and setting goals and estimating how many clients we might serve in our first year, we had estimated about 500, 600 kids would be served,” she says, noting nearly 2,200 children were served between its child advocacy program and the CASA Kids’ Clubhouse, a trauma-informed activity center adjacent to the headquarters designed to meet needs of children and families. That represents a 378% increase over the past 12 months ending in June.

At the clubhouse, which Farmer says is a first of its kind in Missouri, CASA provides children with support during their foster care experience. As advocates, called CASAs, visit with the children in foster care at least twice a month, the clubhouse allows that interaction to happen in a private space.

The clubhouse also accommodates family visits for children who are separated from their parents.

The nonprofit, which employs 19, has over 370 volunteers and a nearly $1.2 million operating budget, provides advocacy services to around 500 foster children. While Farmer says she was excited that the organization was able to aid so many children over the past year, so much more help for them is needed.

“Unfortunately, I think that we are skimming the surface. I think the need is a lot greater than what we’ve experienced in the first year,” she says of the growth since the HQ move.

CASA officials estimate over 1,300 children are in foster care among its three-county service area of Greene, Christian and Taney counties.

“It’s not easy to be in foster care. Our children who have been abused and neglected, they’re going through the most difficult time of their life,” Farmer says. “To be able to provide them with that caring, consistent adult who’s showing up for them, helping them see their value, that they matter and that the community cares about them, I truly believe that that’s the beautiful thing that CASA does – build that community for those children who need it.”

What is the heart of your organization’s mission?
“To recruit, train and empower community volunteers to protect the best interest of children in foster care. We provide caring and consistent adults for children in foster care.”  —Laura Farmer