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The Court Appointed Special Advocates Program (CASA) was started in 1977 by Judge David Soukup in Seattle. In 1976, Superior Court Judge David Soukup of Seattle, Washington, observed a recurring problem of too little information in the courtroom upon which to base life-changing decisions about the safety, permanency and well-being of children. He raised funding to recruit and train community volunteers to obtain information and speak on behalf of children in court. In 1977, a CASA pilot program was formed based on Judge Soukup’s idea. In 1982, the National CASA Association was established to direct CASA’s emerging national presence. There are over 900 CASA programs with over 68,000 CASA volunteers. Over 2 million children have been served since CASA was founded in 1977. About 70% more children need a CASA volunteer.