SAN ANTONIO – During President Donald Trump’s first 100 days in office, millions of dollars in funding for national organizations were cut.
One of those organizations, CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate), operates locally, separate from the national chapter.
“CASA is a program that helps children who are in the court system that do not have parents or lawyers to represent them,” one social media user said in a TikTok video that has garnered more than 200,000 likes and over 9,000 shares.
While millions in funding were cut nationally, local chapters are not immediately being impacted.
A statement on the National CASA website reads in part:
“On April 22, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) issued over 360 notices of termination of federal grant awards. National CASA/GAL was one of the organizations that received notices.”
However, some people on social media assume this will immediately impact local chapters. In San Antonio, that is not the case.
Angela White and Stephanie Shokrian work for Child Advocates San Antonio (CASA San Antonio) in distinct but critical roles. White is the CEO, and Shokrian has been a volunteer advocate for three years.
“We’re talking to the doctors, we’re talking to the foster family, we’re talking to mom and dad, we’re going to get through this together,” Shokrian said.
“[Volunteers] are sworn in by the judge,” White said. “Then they are able to be really involved in the child’s life and bring the best interests of the child … back to the judge so good decisions can be made.”
In San Antonio, that will continue. The Trump administration terminated funding for more than 360 federal grant awards, including one for National CASA. However, National CASA operates separately from local CASA organizations.
In San Antonio, CASA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that raises money without the federal government.
“We hold a big fundraiser,” White said. “We have really great people in the community that support us and other funding streams.”
The National CASA website states that as of April 24, National CASA had to “suspend all services and support funded by OJJDP to the CASA/GAL network to include subaward disbursements to state and local CASA/GAL programs across the country.”
OJJDP is the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, which provides national resources to prevent and intervene in youth delinquency.
Regardless, White said the San Antonio location is OK.
“It’s really important that people understand that we are here,” White said. “We’re not going anywhere. If the worst did happen, we have rainy day funds. We are not going to let these children down.”
Despite some videos gaining attention on social media, this situation is not yet impacting local chapters. In fact, San Antonio needs more volunteers.
“[We served] just over a thousand children this year. It’s not enough, though,” White said. ”There’s about three thousand children in the system here in Bexar County. So, we want to serve more children all the time, and that’s why we need advocates to do that.”
More information on how to become a CASA volunteer can be found here.
