The Columbia Gorge CASA program is a private, non-profit organization which provides trained volunteers to serve as advocates for abused and neglected children involved in Juvenile Court.  This program is nationally accredited and is one of more than 900 programs in the United States.  Columbia Gorge CASA volunteers have full-party status in child welfare cases, which means they have access to all records relating to that child.  Court Appointed Special Advocates ('CASAs') are appointed by circuit court judges to serve as advocates for children who are removed from their homes due to allegations of abuse, neglect or abandonment.  A CASA volunteer's role involves: investigating all relevant information about a given case, ensuring that the court, the Department of Human Services, and the child's attorney fulfill their obligations to the child in a timely manner, monitor all court orders to ensure compliance, update the court on changes in circumstances that may require a modification of the court's order, and ensure that the child's best interests are maintained at the forefront of the case. 

Columbia Gorge CASA serves the Mid-Columbia region in north-central Oregon which includes Hood River, Wasco and Sherman counties.  These counties are quite rural, with the two largest cities being The Dalles (pop. 11,765) and Hood River (pop. 6,000).  Sherman County is considered frontier, with a population of under 2000. Traditionally supported by the timber and agricultural industries, the recent economic declines have brought high unemployment, reduced school funding, and other state and federal budget cuts that impact the whole community, but always hit children the hardest.  As the only nationally-sanctioned CASA program serving Hood River, Wasco, and Sherman counties,  Columbia Gorge CASA has served more than 115 0-18 year-olds during the past four years.  However, this is only 50% of the kids in this region who have needed a voice in court.