Kim Davis, executive director of CASA - Court Appointed Special Advocates - gave a passionate presentation September 9th to Rotary Santa Maria South on the value of the CASA "voice of the child". Giving a brief history and describing the breadth and scope of the organization nationwide, Davis then shared anecdotal stories of CASA successes. A boy she called Jake, a 10 year old, was placed in a permanent home because of the persistence of his CASA, for example, despite his age and the difficulty of placing older children.

While Davis gratefully acknowledged all the various kinds of support provided by Rotary Clubs to CASA, both locally and elsewhere, Davis emphasized the ongoing need for volunteers. Over 100 children in the area are awaiting a CASA  to be his/her "voice" in  child welfare system. In the photo below, President Ken thanks Kim for a great presentation and for working on such a great cause.

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