{"id":2634,"date":"2021-02-11T15:06:32","date_gmt":"2021-02-11T23:06:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nationalcasagal.org\/?page_id=2634"},"modified":"2021-03-10T10:00:35","modified_gmt":"2021-03-10T18:00:35","slug":"building-a-program","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/nationalcasagal.org\/celebrating-our-partnership\/building-a-program\/","title":{"rendered":"Building a Program"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Building a Program<\/h1>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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Erin Smith<\/h2>\n\t\t

\"\"Erin Smith<\/strong> is the founding executive director of CASA of Lafayette County (Mississippi). \u201cIf it weren\u2019t for Kappa Alpha Theta,\u201d she says, \u201cI wouldn\u2019t know what National CASA\/GAL is!\u201d<\/p>\n

As a member of the Epsilon Zeta Chapter at the University of Mississippi, Erin was inspired by the impact local CASA programs can have on the lives of a community\u2019s most vulnerable children, and she knew she wanted to remain involved with CASA programs. Following graduation, she began volunteering for the nearest CASA program\u2014more than an hour away. \u201cThrough that work over four years, I truly found an organization that I was incredibly passionate about.\u201d<\/p>\n

Realizing the need for a CASA program in her hometown of Oxford, Mississippi, Erin began the groundwork for CASA of Lafayette County. This was a huge undertaking, she recalls, and Erin takes pride in being told that CASA of Lafayette County has been the best thing to happen to the youth court. \u201cThat makes all the obstacles worth it. We currently have 31 volunteers and are serving 100 percent of the children in foster care.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe impact a CASA volunteer can have on the life of a child is incredible. We can change sadness, hopelessness and feelings of not being loved into happiness, letting children know that we are here to ensure their safety and that they are lovable. Seeing children reunified with parents or getting adopted is one of the most incredible feelings, because we then know that we did, in fact, change a child\u2019s story.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTheta teaches us, as both undergraduates and alumnae, to be selfless and to give back. For Thetas across the world, CASA\u2019s mission aligns with the core value of service to others.\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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Celebrating Our Partnership<\/h2>\n\t\t
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30 Stories of Impact and Support<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tPrevious\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\tHome<\/a>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tNext\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Read More…<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"parent":2490,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"casa-template.php","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-2634","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nBuilding a Program - National CASA\/GAL Association for Children<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"National CASA\/GAL Association for Children - Building a Program - The National Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) \/ Guardians ad Litem (GAL) Association for Children, together with state and local member programs, supports and promotes court-appointed volunteer advocacy so every child who has experienced abuse or neglect can be safe, have a permanent home, and the opportunity to thrive.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nationalcasagal.org\/celebrating-our-partnership\/building-a-program\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Building a Program - 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