Kathleen LaValle of Dallas CASA joins Carson Gibbons on The DallasMeetup Dime
This episode of The DallasMeetup Dime features host Carson Gibbons interviewing Kathleen LaValle, the President and CEO of Dallas CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates). Key discussion points are provided below.
Organization Mission: Dallas CASA recruits, trains, and supports community volunteers who are court-appointed to advocate for the best interests of children in the foster care system (1:46). The organization aims to provide a nurturing connection and a "champion" for children who have experienced abuse or neglect (3:06).
Growth and Capacity:Kathleen LaValle discusses the organization's significant milestone in 2019, when they reached the capacity to serve 100% of the child welfare cases in Dallas County (2:52-7:26). This growth was supported by building a dedicated training facility and increasing public awareness (7:35-8:13).
Volunteer Impact: The organization has a dedicated volunteer base with an average tenure of four years (10:40). Remarkably, 58% of new applicants in the last year were in their 20s and 30s, alongside a strong presence of volunteers in their 60s, contributing to long-term sustainability (10:56-12:05).
Call to Action:LaValle emphasizes that the most impactful way to support the organization is through word-of-mouth and personal conversations about the volunteer opportunity. Interested individuals are encouraged to attend a virtual information session available at dallascasa.org (12:23-13:54).
Kathleen LaValle will be featured at the DallasMeetup nonprofit cohort event on August 13th at Texas Live! (12:08-14:02).
