Thanks to all of our volunteers, ambassadors, board members, staff, donors, supporters (we could go on), Passaic County CASA met its match!
During the “An Advocate for Every Child” campaign, we raised enough funds to secure a $100,000 matching gift, which will support the recruitment, training, and supervision of additional Court Appointed Special Advocates.
What does this mean for Passaic County CASA? It means that as a result of the “An Advocate for Every Child” campaign and this generous match, we are closer than ever to bringing the name of the campaign to life. For the first time, providing an advocate to every child in the Passaic County foster care system is well within our reach.
Last month, Pamela and Craig Goldman (of the Pamela and Craig Goldman Charitable Foundation) stopped by the CASA office to present Executive Director Erica Fischer-Kaslander with the $100,000 check. During the visit, the pair explained the value of supporting CASA.
“Passaic County CASA does a great job for the children who really need it,” Pamela Goldman said.
Craig Goldman echoed his wife’s sentiment, adding “If you’ve done well, you have an obligation to give back.”.
He went on to say, “CASA’s work will change the lives of many children and help ensure their success in the future.”
In fiscal year 2019, CASA experienced unprecedented growth. We ended the year with 133 Court Appointed Special Advocate volunteers, the highest number since CASA was founded in 2007. With these additional volunteers, CASA was able to serve 272 children in foster care, a nine percent increase from the previous year.
“Through the support of Pamela and Craig Goldman and all of our donors, CASA is poised for another banner year in fiscal year 2020,” Fischer-Kaslander said. “It is the commitment of our entire organization that each child victim of abuse and neglect will have the benefit of personal advocacy in order to reach a safe and permanent home. We are thrilled to be closer than ever to this goal!”