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 Juvenile Court Judge George L. Lovell began inquiring about a CASA program for Maury County in the mid 1990’s. In late 2004 a discussion was initiated regarding the need for CASA in Maury County with the Tennessee CASA Association director. The state director's suggestion was that the Young Lawyers Division (YLD) of the Maury County Bar Association be approached for support in this start-up effort. In the second quarter of 2005, the YLD leadership of Maury County and various other concerned citizens that had been identified, met. Judge Lovell attended, giving the program his hearty approval. Other representatives came from the local school system, mental health agencies, the legal community, law enforcement, and the faith-based community. All voiced concern for the lack of advocacy for abused and neglected children appearing before the Juvenile Court. After this initial meeting, a Start-up Steering Committee was formed to spearhead start-up activities.
In December 2005, the Start-up Steering Committee gave way to the establishment of the first Board of Directors for the new program. As of February 2006, this group established a legal entity, obtained 501(c)3 status, established and supplied an office, convened the enthusiastic and competent Board, developed working relationships with the Maury County Juvenile Court and the Maury County Department of Children’s Services, obtained Provisional Membership in the National CASA Association, and collaborated with Tennessee CASA Association and other local agencies to begin program implementation.
Interviews with Maury County Department of Children’s Services during the Needs Assessment process were encouraging. Department staff stated that they believed CASA would be part of the solution to the formidable tasks of ensuring that permanency is achieved on a timelier basis and that the physical, educational, and emotional needs of children in care are better met. The community was also very supportive of start-up activities.
CASA of Maury County, Inc. received a New Program Grant from National CASA Association for $40,000 in Fiscal Year 2007 primarily to enable hiring an Executive Director and some support services. Due to commendable performance in the first year of program implementation, the grant was renewed for a second year.
In September 2006, the first 10 CASA volunteers were trained and activated; in December another 6; and in May 2007 another 13, bringing the total number of volunteers trained in the first year to 29. This total exceeded the 25 projected in the NCASAA grant application (which, at the time, had seemed very optimistic). After several additional training classes the number of volunteers stands at 42. As of August 2009, the volunteers have served a total of 180 of our community’s most vulnerable children.
In January 2009, CASA of Maury County successfully completed the rigorous Quality Assurance Assessment process and received a Certificate of National CASA Membership and Standards Compliance.
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