Second Annual Coffee for CASA – The Battle of the Bean

Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) is a national association in the United States that supports and promotes court-appointed advocates for abused or neglected children. CASA are volunteers from the community who complete training that has been provided by the state or local CASA office. They are appointed by a judge, and their role is to gather information and make recommendations in the best interest of the child, keeping the child’s personal wishes in mind.

2nd Annual Coffee for CASA – The Battle of the Bean – by Kelly Bell

Coffee for CASA will take place on Saturday, July 19th, 2025, to raise money for Boundary County CASA children. ​Local Boundary County coffee stands and merchants are competing to see who can win “The Battle of the Bean” by raising funds for children in Boundary County. This year’s competitors will include Thunder Mtn Coffee, Homestead Coffee, Two Brews Coffee Co., and a new addition to the competition, Under the Sun! These businesses have volunteered to donate a portion of their profits and to collect any donations offered by the community to help our kids. They are the real “Superheroes.” On Saturday, there will be special coffee and energy drinks available with themes dedicated to children and superheroes. Be sure to drink up for Kootenai River Days and CASA! The winner will be announced next week, and they will be displaying a large banner with bragging rights!

Last year, over $2800 was raised to help children in Boundary County. Funds are dedicated to supporting the children once they are placed in foster care. Often, they enter foster care with the clothes they are wearing and nothing else. Past funds have been used to purchase beds and mattresses, clothing, toys, sporting equipment, and other items most people take for granted. Some children have never had a bed to call their own before being taken into foster care. Many have never participated in extracurricular activities like sports or camps. We ensure they get those opportunities because that is what all children deserve.

CASA has successfully built strong community relationships, engaged with donors, and organized fundraising events that highlight the recruitment need for stable, caring volunteer advocates. Grants for direct-to-victim services have enabled the CASA Center to implement outreach programs for foster families and school-aged children. These include Project Permanency, which provides essentials to reunified families, and tutoring services offered through the CASA Learning Lab. CASA has established endowments through Idaho Community Fund and the Innovia Foundation to assist young adults when aging out of the foster care system with resources for life skills, mentorship, education, housing, and help with securing job placement.

Sadly, the last year has brought a record increase in the number of abused and neglected youth in Boundary County. Because of this, North Idaho CASA is also recruiting Volunteer Advocates. Volunteer Advocates investigate child protection cases, represent the child’s best interests in court, and help find them a safe home with a forever family. Advocates are thoroughly vetted and trained. Once selected, Advocates participate in a 30-hour preservice training course to help them familiarize themselves with the legal, psychological, and technical aspects of a child protection case.

Advocates come from all backgrounds. They share one common goal: to advocate for the best interests of the children on their caseload. Once trained and sworn in as an Idaho Guardian ad Litem, Advocates visit with their child at least once a month, submit reports to the Court with recommendations for the child’s well-being, and advocate for any services or support their child needs. They also participate in ongoing training throughout the year so that they can offer the best advocacy possible. The next Pre-Service Advocate training will take place in the fall. Please visit www.northidahocasa.org to donate, volunteer, or find out more about how you can make a difference in the lives of our community’s most vulnerable youth, or contact Boundary County CASA Supervisor, Kelly Bell at Kelly@northidahocasa.org.

Team CASA was proud to celebrate 30 years of advocacy in 2023 and remains committed to the vital work of fighting for every child victim to have a life free from abuse. We are dedicated to pursuing hope and healing to break the cycle of trauma for future generations. Our vision is that every child victim (age 0-18) in the five northern counties under the purview of the Child Protective Act is appointed a CASA who will advocate for and represent the best interests of the child for the entirety of the child protection case. Providing unwavering advocacy in court will always be the core mission of CASA.

This article is sponsored by Evergreen Horizon, LLC.

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