About CASA:
A commitment to Minnesota’s children
Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) Minnesota is a member of the National Court Appointed Special Advocates Association (National CASA). A grant from National CASA supports this website and our efforts to encourage communication, development, and effective advocacy for CASA volunteers and Guardians ad Litem statewide.
Mission
The mission of CASA Minnesota is to broadly support volunteer advocacy on behalf of abused and neglected children in our state. We believe that every abused and neglected child in Minnesota court proceedings should have a volunteer advocate working for their best interests. In pursuit of this goal, we do the following:
- Assist in the recruitment and retention of Minnesota volunteer guardians ad litem
- Provide initial and continuing education and support to Minnesota volunteer guardians ad litem
- Increase public awareness about child welfare and guardians ad litem
- Provide a network for communication among Minnesota volunteer guardians ad litem
- Advocate for legislative change, public policies and best practices that enhance the quality of advocacy and care for abused and neglected children
CASA Minnesota supports the CASA programs established in various Minnesota judicial districts.
Local programs
CASA Minnesota supports state and local programs for volunteer CASA guardians ad litem serving in the Minnesota state judicial districts shown below:
- 1st Judicial District, which includes Carver, Dakota, Goodhue, Le Sueur, McLeod, Scott and Sibley Counties
- 2nd Judicial District, which includes Ramsey County
- 4th Judicial District, which includes Hennepin County
- 5th Judicial District, which includes Blue Earth, Brown, Cottonwood, Faribault, Jackson, Lincoln, Lyon, Martin, Murray, Nicollet, Nobles, Pipestone, Redwood, Rock and Watonwan Counties
All CASA volunteers, no matter the judicial district in which they serve, must be certified and follow state-wide program standards and rules of court as established by the Minnesota judicial system.
Volunteers
CASA volunteers come from all walks of life—they are everyday citizens of all ages, genders, ethnicity and professional experience. Being a CASA volunteer does not require any special education or background. Volunteers get to know the child and talk with everyone in that child’s life—parents and relatives, foster parents, teachers, medical professionals, attorneys, social workers and others. They use the information they gather to inform judges and others of what the child needs and what will be the best permanent home for them. CASA volunteers listen first—then they act.
To be a CASA volunteer, you must pass a background check, participate in a 40-hour pre-service training course with your local Minnesota CASA guardian ad litem program, and agree to stay with a case until it is closed (a year and a half on average). YOU might be an ideal CASA volunteer—won’t you consider making a difference in the life of an abused or neglected child today? Even if you’re not able to serve as a CASA volunteer, there are other ways you can support CASA Minnesota: you candonate financially, and you can donate your time and skills to help the CASA MN Board with its work.
Executive Director
Board of Directors
- Laurie Kusek, President
GAL Program Manager, Fourth Judicial District
- Mark Proctor, Vice President
Guardian ad Litem, Second Judicial District
- Kelly Hudick, Treasurer
Attorney, KPMG LLP
- Rebecca Shlafer, Secretary
University of Minnesota
Guardian ad Litem, Fourth Judicial District
- Mollie Bremer
Kappa Alpha Theta
- Judy Peterson
GAL Program Manager, First Judicial District
- Dave Rosewall
Cargill
- Carol Russell
CEO, Russell Herder
- Mike Tikkanen
Guardian ad Litem, Fourth Judicial District
- Kristen Trebil
GAL Program Manager, Second Judicial District
To find out about volunteer opportunities working with the CASA MN Board, please contact CASA MN.
LEARN MORE: The CASA impact
