By Lindy Turner-Hardin | Executive Director
The United States has over 424,000 children in foster care (June, 2010). And while the number of children entering foster care over the past few years is trending downward (19% over the past 8 years), another 255,000 children are placed in foster care each year.
52% of those children will be returned to their parents or family members, but many of them will languish in the system until they either are adopted or age-out. For those children left in the system, the harsh reality is that almost half of them won't graduate from high school, and many of them, by the time they turn 23, will have spent some time in jail.
We are changing this statistic. One child at a time, the CASA program volunteers focus their efforts on making sure that their assigned foster child/ren finish high school, setting a foundation for higher education and giving them a greater chance at self-sufficiency and success.
We may not be able to change the system that these children are placed in at this moment, but we can change the odds. Please help us with this effort by continuing to support the CASA program. As you are likely aware, programs like CASA have already sustained and anticipate even greater funding cuts from all levels of government. Now more than ever, the success of our CASA volunteers - the success of our foster children, relies on our supporters. Thank you for helping us change those statistics.
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