CASA/Prince George's County Receives $50,000 Grant from Fund for Children, Youth and Families

CASA/Prince George’s County announced on Tuesday that it is been awarded a major grant for $50,000 that will help it recruit, train and supervise Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASAs) for foster children.

“We deeply appreciate this investment,” said Ann Marie Binsner, Executive Director of CASA/Prince George’s County, a nonprofit founded in 2001. “It will help us make a real difference in the lives of foster kids who have been abused and neglected.”

The $50,000 grant is from the Fund for Children, Youth and Families at the Washington, D.C.-based Community Foundation for the National Capital Region. The Foundation is the administrator for the Fund and is charged with implementing its new five-year, grant-making strategy.

In this, the first year of the strategy, a total of $1.97 million in grants were awarded to 46 nonprofit organizations dedicated to helping disadvantaged children and families in the greater Washington area.

“Too many of our young people – and their families – don’t have the support they need to succeed,” said Bruce McNamer, president and CEO of The Community Foundation. “These grants will allow our nonprofit partners to continue to move the needle towards a community where all residents thrive.”

Studies show that a CASA can change a foster child’s life, making them more likely to do well in school, be placed in a safe and permanent home and escape poverty.

CASA/Prince George’s recruits, trains and supervises CASAs for more than 150 foster children a year. Each CASA represents one child. They get to know their needs and challenges. The CASA then provides information and recommendations that help a judge decide what’s best for the child.

“The CASA is an advocate as well as an investigator, mentor and friend,” Binsner said. “Most importantly, a CASA is a difference maker and with this grant we will have more difference makers for foster kids.”

For more information, visit www.pgcasa.org or call 301-209-0491. The next Open House and information session is December 6th from 6-7:30 in CASA’s offices.

About Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA)/Prince George’s County, Inc.

Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA)/ Prince George's County, Inc. is a volunteer-based organization that partners with the juvenile court to improve the lives of abused and neglected children living in foster care. With a strong commitment to diversity, CASA trains and supervises volunteers from the community who advocate for the best interest of children, recognizing and respecting each child's individual needs. By providing a voice to children in the foster care system, it is our goal to promote the timely placement of the children we serve in safe, permanent homes.