Creative Spirit Gallery's Mission

Did you know that a judge has on average only ten minutes in which to hear testimony and determine a child's fate?  Ten minutes in which to decide a child's future based on testimony given by lawyers and social workers who may not even have been with the case for more than a few days. 

 

That's where a CASA comes in.  CASA stands for Court Appointed Special Advocate—a specially trained volunteer appointed by a judge to serve as the eyes and ears of the court.  A CASA meets with the child, parents, foster parents, teachers, social workers, attorneys, grandparents, neighbors—in short, anyone who has contact with the child—to make sure the child doesn’t get lost in the overburdened legal and social service system, or languish in an inappropriate group or foster home.

CASA volunteers stay with each case until the child is placed in a safe, permanent home. For many abused children, their CASA volunteer will be the one constant adult presence amid dozens of strangers: police, foster parents, therapists, social workers, judges, lawyers, and more.
 
Creative Spirit Gallery was created by Illinois artist and writer Rebecca Sterling-Ochoa in an effort to help the nearly half million abused and neglected children caught up in the court system. A portion of the profits from every item sold through this website—whether purchased here or through eBay—is donated to National CASA. 

 

---

 

Please note: While items purchased here are generally not tax deductible, if you would like to make a direct, tax-deductible donation to CASA, click here.