Our volunteers are simply amazing. They go above and beyond, every single day, ensuring our children are seen, heard and remain the focus of their cases. Each year, our agency selects a CASA (or two) who not only went above and beyond, but who truly moved mountains, to receive the May Cook Heart of Gold…

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! Our goal for this year’s #givingtuesday was $6,000. One of our generous and amazing volunteers offered a $1,000 match on our first $1,000 raised. We are so thrilled to report that we didn’t just meet our goal, we exceeded it….by double the amount! Thanks to our amazing community, we…

Fall is here! The past few months have been very busy here at Fairfax CASA as we continue to receive new cases from the Court. Read on for our staff recommendations, highlights of our latest swearing in, and info about our upcoming race event, and more. 

Our September 2023 staff picks tackle difficult, but extremely important, topics and recent events that impact our families and children. Podcast Pick: Inside America’s critical shortage of foster care homes by WBUR On Point On Point host Meghna Chakrabarti discusses the current shortage of foster homes across the United States with guests including former foster…

Lisa Merhaut has made a powerful impact on our program in the past year and a half as a committed volunteer. She is currently advocating for four children from two different family groups and makes being a CASA while working a full-time job look easy! Her supervisor Mary said, “Lisa’s energy and enthusiasm for her…

For the past eighteen years, Fairfax CASA has had the pleasure of working with Virginia Hole. Virginia shows extreme dedication, patience, and heart in her role as a CASA volunteer. She has advocated for thirteen family groups and nineteen children of all different ages from infancy through young adulthood. In 2015, Virginia was recognized as…

Naomi* was fifteen years old when her difficult relationship with her mother came to a head and the two got into a physical altercation. Following their fight, Naomi’s mother no longer felt she could safely care for her daughter, and Naomi entered the child welfare system. The Court recognized that both Naomi and her mother…

Read on to learn what our staff members are reading, watching, and listening to this August! Book Pick: How the Other Half Eats: The Untold Story of Food and Inequality in America by Priya Fielding-Singh, PhD  Ethnographer Priya Fielding-Singh offers a critical analysis of nutritional inequality in America through the lens of race, social class,…

Jayden* was born substance-exposed, tested positive for cocaine and experienced serious substance withdrawal symptoms for the first few weeks of his life. His condition required an extended hospital stay and resulted in a Department of Family Services (DFS) Child Protective Services investigation.  Jayden was placed with a foster family while DFS looked for family members…

Last month was CASA Nancy Dolliver’s sixteen year anniversary as a volunteer with Fairfax CASA. In those sixteen years, Nancy has advocated for twelve children from eight different family groups. She stayed on one of her cases for over five years, embodying the consistent nature of our volunteer program. When asked about Nancy’s time as…