Each holiday season, CASA of McLennan County invites organizations and individuals to provide gifts for children in the foster care system. This annual project is a wonderful opportunity for STRATA Trust Company to extend the giving tradition to children in our community.

When children enter the foster care system because their home is no longer safe, CASA of McLennan County and its network of invested, compassionate Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteers step in to advocate for the child’s best interests in the child protection system. CASA strives to ensure that each child or set of siblings has specialized attention and as much stability as possible while they navigate the foster care system – and that includes experiencing the joys of Christmas.

STRATA “adopted” 20 children and provided Christmas gifts to fulfill each child’s wish list. “Our CASAs ask each child what they hope for,” said Anna Futral, Executive Director of CASA of McLennan County. “Each child’s list is varied. For example, one little 9-year-old girl asked for a journal on her wish list. To everyone else, it’s just a journal, but there’s a larger backstory to her request. Journaling is part of that little girl’s therapy treatment and for her, that journal will help her with her therapy.”

Futral adds that foster care is a chaotic time for these children and sometimes foster homes aren’t equipped to provide Christmas gifts for these foster children, so with community support from organizations like STRATA Trust Company, CASA is able to help these families enjoy the holidays.

_{STRATA Trust Company representatives Christine Kling, Kelli Click, Amanda Efird, Margaret McVan and Christy Jaynes
present CASA of McLennan County with Christmas gifts and toys to fulfill 20 children’s wish lists.}

 

About CASA

CASA of McLennan County’s mission is to provide a trained volunteer, a Court Appointed Special Advocate, for every abused and neglected child in the counties we serve so that these children may ultimately thrive in safe, nurturing, and permanent homes. CASA is making a difference – one child at a time. CASA volunteers are individuals from all walks of life who speak up for a child’s best interests in court. You are not a foster parent, you are a voice making a real difference at a critical turning point in the child’s life.​ To learn more about CASA or to become a Court Appointed Special Advocate, visit https://casaforeverychild.org/.