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CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) of Memphis and Shelby County Receives $10,000 Grant: Kemmons Wilson Family Foundation Donates Funds for CASA's Advocacy Program
January 4, 2008 •Press Release
Memphis, TN – The Kemmons Wilson Family Foundation has awarded a $10,000 grant to CASA of Memphis and Shelby county, Inc for its Advocacy Program.
CASA of Memphis and Shelby County, Inc will use the grant to recruit, train, and supervise volunteer child advocates. The goal of the Advocacy Program is to provide a volunteer for every abused and neglected child appointed to CASA by the Juvenile Court of Memphis and Shelby County and to empower the Juvenile Court Judge and Referees with information regarding the child’s circumstances that will ensure that children before the court will have the greatest opportunity to grow up in a safe, permanent home.
About CASA of Memphis and Shelby County, Inc
CASA is a non-profit agency whose mission is to be the leader in child advocacy through dedicated, trained volunteers and staff who by providing an unbiased voice in court assure safe, permanent homes for abused, abandoned and neglected children. On a daily basis, the abused and neglected children of Memphis and Shelby County deal with difficult circumstances most people never encounter in a lifetime. Compounding the situation, the child’s parental structure is often replaced by strangers, police, foster parents, social workers, judges, and lawyers.
Having a CASA volunteer means having a trained and committed adult who is appointed by a judge or referee in Juvenile Court to watch over and advocate for that child’s best interest. A CASA volunteer ensures that a child does not get lost in the overburdened legal and social service system or languish in an inappropriate group or foster home. A CASA volunteer will be there for that child until the court case is closed. CASA can make the difference between homelessness and safety, dropping out and graduation, unemployment and success, and jail and productivity.
In FY2007, CASA served nearly 600 children with the support of 160 volunteers.
About Kemmons Wilson Family Foundation
By words and deeds, Kemmons Wilson believed in investing in people and improving their quality of life through the combined efforts of hard work, dedication and a solid vision. One of his Twenty Tips for Success best expresses his belief...
"Work is the master key that opens the door to all opportunities."
Kemmons Wilson made it his life work to give back to his community.
The Kemmons Wilson Family Foundation was created out of Kemmons Wilson's passion for enhancing the community in which he lived, a passion which was shared by his wife Dorothy and passed down to their five children and their families.
The mission of the Kemmons Wilson Family Foundation is to honor the legacy of giving established by its founder, Kemmons Wilson. The Foundation intends to positively impact and transform the Memphis community through its grant-making in the areas of Community Outreach and Development, Advancement of Youth, Enrichment of Education, Faith-based Ministries, and Health and Research-Related Organizations.
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