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Who Are We?
We are people in the local community willing to volunteer on behalf of children who have a right to be treated fairly. Children who have been abused or neglected should never be overlooked.
Our Mission
Through the work of well-trained, experienced volunteer advocates, we represent the best interests of all abused and neglected children in the 20th Judicial District Court and help to establish safe and stable homes and improve the lives of the children we serve.
Our History
In 1976, juvenile court judge David Soukup of Seattle, WA, was concerned that he couldn’t see the whole picture of the child’s life, and thus couldn’t make a satisfying judgment for them. So, he initiated a program of community volunteers who were responsible for all aspects of the child’s life and would report findings so he could make better-informed decisions. Today, CASA (which stands for Court Appointed Special Advocates) is a nationwide program of 939 CASA organizations supporting 98,000 volunteers who investigate the cases of abused and neglected children in the court system, help to facilitate their well-being, and make recommendations to the judge.
Our Story
In 2004, Judge Kim Christopher worked to initiate a local CASA program in Lake County, MT and in 2014, our program expanded to Sanders County, MT to serve the entire 20th Judicial District Court. Our judges call CASA advocates their “eyes and ears” in dependent neglect cases. We work together with 15 other CASA programs in Montana supporting approximately 1,000 volunteer advocates, who serve over 2,000 abused and negelcted children statewide.
Our Board of Directors
Steve Seilhymer, Chair
Retired Operations Manager
(Big Fork, MT)
David Rensvold, Vice Chair
First Interstate Wealth Management
(Polson, MT)
Colleen McCarthy, Secretary
Retired Risk Management Executive
(Plains, MT)
Kathy Gregg, Treasurer
Retired Bank Branch Mgr/Accountant
(Plains, MT)
Gillian Newell
School Professional
(Big Arm, MT)
Kara Ilac
MT Office of Public Assistance
(Polson, MT)
Meghan McCarthy-Grant
Retired School Administrator
(Plains, MT)
Sarah Newell
Gen Z Representative
(Big Arm, MT)
Chief Juvenile Probation Officer, Ex Officio Member
Youth Court
(Polson, MT)
Ann Marie McNeel
Director