Courtesy Photo­Image

CASA is hosting a five-kilometer race and a family mile run on April 13 to raise money for the program.

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The race will be held a 9 a.m. at Iron Horse Lake, south of I-80, next to the 20th Century Veteran's Memorial.

Registration is at 8 a.m. The cost is $20, which includes a timed race, superhero games and activities, refreshments and a tee-shirt.

To register, click HERE.

Proceeds benefit the CASA program. Volunteers are appointed by judges to watch over and advocate for abused and neglected children, to make sure they don’t get lost in the overburdened legal and social service system or languish in inappropriate group or foster homes. The kids don't just need a hero, organizers say, they need a superhero.

Volunteers stay with each case until it is closed and the child is placed in a safe, permanent home.

For many abused children, their CASA volunteer is the one constant adult presence in their lives.

Independent research has demonstrated that children with a CASA volunteer are substantially less likely to spend time in long-term foster care and less likely to re-enter care.

CASA movement began

In 1977, a Seattle juvenile court judge concerned about making drastic decisions with insufficient information conceived the idea of citizen volunteers speaking up for the best interests of abused and neglected children in the courtroom.

From that first program, a network of more than 946 CASA and guardian ad litem programs have grown, recruiting, training and supporting volunteers in 49 states.