Overview of CASA
Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASAs) provide individual advocacy for children in foster care who have been abused, neglected or abandoned. Our goal is to help ensure that children receive all the services they need and to recommend to the court the best outcome for each child—a safe, loving, permanent home.
There are nearly 650 children in foster care in Baltimore County each year. CASA of Baltimore County currently serves about one third of those children. We want to do more! And, with continued and increased financial assistance and volunteers, we will!
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Ability, & Belonging
It has long been known that children of color, particularly Black children, are far overrepresented in foster care, just as Black people continue to be overrepresented in the criminal justice system, in incidents of violence by police, in suspensions in school, and poor health outcomes. Our CASA community includes the 142 children and youth that we are serving today, including more than 40 percent who identify as Black or African-American.
CASA of Baltimore County is committed to doing better for the children and families we work with– to listen, to learn, to hear, and to speak up.
At CASA of Baltimore County, one of our core values is ensuring that everyone we serve, work with, employ, or otherwise interact with is treated with respect, dignity, and fairness. We want to contribute positively to the community and strive not just for equality, but equity. This is our commitment as an organization.
A Message From the Director
CASA Volunteer Advocates help ensure that abused and neglected children reach safe, permanent, and loving homes and that they receive every needed service while in foster care. These everyday heroes make a critical difference in the lives of hundreds of Baltimore County’s most vulnerable children. Despite that success, CASA of Baltimore County is currently only serving approximately one-third of the children in foster care in Baltimore County. Contact us to learn more about the ways in which you can support CASA’s goal of providing an advocate for every child in foster care.
-Jennifer Stine, Director
Meet Our Staff
We are very proud of our team here at CASA Baltimore County. We take great pride in our work and look forward every day to assisting the needs of both our children and CASA Volunteer Advocates.
Karen Coleman
Program Director
kcoleman@casabaltco.org
Janis Bormel
Advocate Coordinator
jbormel@casabaltco.org
Meet the CASA Volunteer Advocates
Meet CASA Volunteer Judy Mitchell
Meet CASA Volunteer Alfred Jones
Meet CASA Volunteer Sally Salvatori
