SLS 17RS-743 ORIGINAL
2017 Regular Session
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 45
BY SENATOR ALARIO
SENATE. Commends CASA programs and volunteers for the work they do to ensure safe
permanent homes for Louisiana's foster children and designates April 27, 2017, as CASA
Day at the state capitol.
1 A RESOLUTION
2 To commend the CASA programs and its volunteers for the work they do to ensure safe
3 permanent homes for Louisiana's foster children and to designate April 27, 2017, as
4 CASA Day at the state capitol.
5 WHEREAS, the mission of CASA is to give every child who has been abused or
6 neglected an opportunity to thrive and establish permanence with quality advocacy from a
7 Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteer, and nationwide local CASA
8 programs recruit, train, and support volunteers in their work with abused and neglected
9 children; and
10 WHEREAS, the Louisiana CASA Association (LACASA), which grew out of an
11 informal association of CASA program directors throughout the state, supports local
12 programs in their efforts to ensure that abused and neglected children in the Louisiana legal
13 system have a competent and caring volunteer advocate through quality, local CASA
14 programs; and
15 WHEREAS, the first CASA program in Louisiana began in 1986 in Orleans Parish
16 and currently there are seventeen local programs serving 55 parishes in Louisiana including:
17 1. CAPITAL AREA CASA in Baton Rouge serving East Baton Rouge Parish
18 2. CASA JEFFERSON in Metairie serving Jefferson Parish
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SLS 17RS-743 ORIGINAL
1 3. CASA NEW ORLEANS serving Orleans and St. Bernard parishes
2 4. CASA OF CENTRAL LOUISIANA (NATCHITOCHES) serving Natchitoches,
3 Red River, and Sabine parishes
4 5. CASA OF LAFOURCHE in Thibodaux serving Lafourche Parish
5 6. CASA OF NELA (NORTHEAST LA) in Monroe serving Caldwell, East Carroll,
6 Franklin, Lincoln, Madison, Morehouse, Ouachita, Richland, Tensas, Union, and West
7 Carroll parishes
8 7. CASA OF PLAQUEMINES in Belle Chasse serving Plaquemines Parish
9 8. CASA OF SOLA (SOUTH LOUISIANA) in Lafayette serving Acadia, Lafayette,
10 and Vermilion parishes
11 9. CASA OF ST. LANDRY AND EVANGELINE in Opelousas serving St. Landry
12 and Evangeline parishes
13 10. CASA OF TERREBONNE in Houma serving Terrebonne Parish
14 11. CASA of the 16th JDC in New Iberia serving Iberia, St. Martin, and St. Mary
15 parishes
16 12. CASA OF WEST CENLA (WEST CENTRAL LA) in DeRidder serving Vernon
17 and Beauregard parishes
18 13. CASA, A PROGRAM OF FAMILY & YOUTH in Lake Charles serving Allen,
19 Calcasieu, Cameron, and Jefferson Davis parishes
20 14. CHILD ADVOCACY SERVICES in Hammond serving: Ascension,
21 Assumption, East Feliciana, Livingston, St. Charles, St. Helena, St. James, St. John,
22 Tangipahoa, and West Feliciana parishes
23 15. RAPIDES CAC in Alexandria serving Avoyelles, Grant, Rapides, and Winn
24 parishes
25 16. VOLUNTEERS FOR YOUTH JUSTICE-CASA in Shreveport serving Bienville,
26 Bossier, Caddo, Claiborne, Jackson, and Webster parishes
27 17. YOUTH SERVICE BUREAU - CASA in Covington serving Washington and St.
28 Tammany parishes; and
29 WHEREAS, there are approximately 4800 foster children on any given day in
30 Louisiana; and
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SLS 17RS-743 ORIGINAL
1 WHEREAS, there are over 1800 CASA volunteers assigned to more than 3300 foster
2 children and these volunteers provide over 65,000 hours of volunteer service to Louisiana's
3 foster children.
4 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana
5 does hereby commend the CASA programs and its volunteers for the work they do to ensure
6 safe permanent homes for Louisiana's foster children and designate April 27, 2017, as CASA
7 Day at the state capitol.
8 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana does
9 hereby recognize the need and impact of the CASA program in Louisiana and thanks local
10 CASA programs and their volunteers, staff, and boards for protecting Louisiana's foster
11 children.
12 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution shall be transmitted
13 to Capital Area CASA, CASA Jefferson, CASA New Orleans, CASA of Central Louisiana,
14 CASA of Lafourche, CASA of NELA, CASA of Plaquemines, CASA of SOLA, CASA of
15 St. Landry and Evangeline, CASA of Terrebonne, CASA of the 16th JDC, CASA of West
16 CENLA, CASA, A Program of Family & Youth, Child Advocacy Services, Rapides CAC,
17 Volunteers for Youth Justice-CASA, and Youth Service Bureau-CASA.
The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Jerry J. Guillot.
DIGEST
SR 45 Original 2017 Regular Session Alario
Commends the CASA programs and its volunteers for the work they do to ensure safe
permanent homes for Louisiana's foster children and designates April 27, 2017, as CASA
Day at the state capitol.
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