Our program was one of the first in Ohio and the nation, launching in 1989.

The CASA movement began in 1977 when Judge David Soukup of Seattle, Washington, first recruited community volunteers to speak as guardians ad litem on behalf of abused and neglected children in court. Judge Soukup felt frustrated that he was expected to make serious decisions regarding children with no feedback from the child and only limited information from others involved in the case. He wanted to develop a way to bring more complete information to juvenile judges so that they could better protect children. CASA volunteers proved to be an effective way to help the courts avoid inappropriate and unduly long foster care placements. As a result, other states began to adopt the idea.

The first CASA program was founded in Ohio in October 1980 in Lucas County (Toledo) by Judge Andy Devine, with help from the Junior League. Judge Devine had attended a presentation about the CASA program in Tennessee, which inspired him to take the idea back to his community. The Lucas County CASA/GAL program was third in the nation. CASA programs in Akron and Cincinnati soon followed.

Our program was one of the first in the state, launching shortly after in 1989. Today, there are 48 programs in 62 counties in Ohio.

You can access resources and learn more about the Ohio CASA/GAL Association here and the National CASA/GAL Association here.