CASA of North Texas awarded prizes for its fourth annual art contest. Prizes were awarded to Josiah Jones, Patricia Neusch and Destiny Munoz. All three were presented art kits and certificates by District Judge, Janelle Haverkamp.

“We are so happy to recognize the very special pictures that were done for our contest. Choosing a winner for the contest was quite difficult,” said CASA’s director, Vicki Robertson. “I think having Judge Haverkamp presenting the awards made it a very special time for the children as well. She took the time to give the children a tour of her court and explain how things work in the Courtroom. It was a blessing to us (CASA) and to the children.”

“CASA will be use the winning artwork and incorporate it into our annual campaign. These young artists helped us to present what we do in a very sweet visual way,” Robertson added.

CASA of North Texas is a non-profit organization that recruits, trains and supervises everyday volunteers who advocate for the best interests of abused and/or neglected children while they are a part of the foster care system. CASA volunteers give their time to get to know the children and their families.

They check on the children while they are in foster care, check up on the efforts of parents as they work to make the changes necessary to have their families reunited. CASA volunteers then report their findings back to the District Judge, who has the tremendous responsibility of making decisions that affect the lives of these vulnerable children.

The CASA volunteers act as “the eyes and the ears of the Court” on the children.

CASA is supported locally by the United Way, Cooke County Commissioner’s Court and the City of Gainesville as well as local individuals, businesses and churches.