CASA to Hold Fundraiser to Support Kids in Foster Care

Our Daily Show Interview! Getting to Know: CASA of Southwestern IL- Volunteers Needed!

BELLEVILLE/EDWARDSVILLE - CASA of Southwestern Illinois needs volunteers who are willing to be “a voice” for children in the foster care system.

On Saturday, April 25, 2026, CASA will host an annual dinner and fundraiser at The Leclaire Room in Edwardsville. Community members are invited to come out and support the work of CASA, or Court-Appointed Special Advocates.

These volunteers advocate for kids in court and help judges make decisions in the best interest of the child. For Executive Director Kwanzaa Wright, this work is especially important during Child Abuse Prevention Awareness Month in April.

“We recruit, train and advocate for the volunteers,” Wright explained. “The volunteers go into the courtroom. They go on home visits. They’re going to the schools. Those volunteers are just a second layer of eyes for the judge. They also assist with the court reporting as well. They're also just a second layer of eyes for the judge to just advocate and be a voice for that child.”

CASA volunteers are asked to commit to the child for the duration of their case, which translates to about five hours a month. These volunteers meet with the child, speak on their behalf in court, and often act as one stable adult in the child’s life.

Volunteers must be over age 21 and have a clear background check, but Wright noted that there are no other requirements. The organization will train you and help you through any issues that arise. Anyone can be a great help to a child.

“To be a volunteer for CASA, you just have to have a passion to serve, have a heart to advocate and be a voice for the youth,” he said. “They have a passion to serve. They want to be a voice for the child. They want what’s best for the child. We have volunteers who have worked with their foster care child from youth along to when they graduate from high school.”

CASA of Southwestern Illinois serves five counties. They currently have 130 volunteers and over 900 kids who could benefit from their services.

Wright urges anyone who feels a pull to help to consider volunteering. He noted that most of the volunteers find it very fulfilling to give back to the community in this way. You can read one CASA volunteer’s story here.

“They always talk about the passion and the self-fulfillment that they get out of volunteering and serving,” Wright said. “It is just an extraordinary feeling for them to come relay that information to us as well.”

Whether or not volunteering is for you, Wright encourages you to consider attending the annual dinner fundraiser on April 25. He noted that they are always looking for donations, and any amount is helpful. CASA can’t do this work without the community’s support.

For more information about CASA of Southwestern Illinois, including how to donate, how to volunteer, or how to buy a ticket to the April 25 fundraiser, visit their official website.

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