CASA for Lancaster County Staff
CASA for Lancaster County Board
Kelly Winnik
Board President
Maggie Wieting
Vice President
Bryce Morgan
Treasurer
Audrey Mines
Board Secretary
Amber Bogle
Sheila Bentzen
Staci Hass
Laura Maddox
Betsy Tonniges
Dr. Emily Willett
Andrew Wilson
Colten Zamrzla
CASA for Lancaster County History
Since 1999, CASA for Lancaster County has advocated for children in our juvenile court and child welfare systems. Judge David Soukup of Seattle, Washington first implemented the CASA concept in 1977. As a Judge, he felt a compelling need to have more information available on which he could base his decisions. Decisions that had lifelong ramifications for children. Since the inception of the CASA program in 1977, CASA has grown to include almost 1,000 member programs in 49 states and the District of Columbia. In 1990, the U.S. Congress encouraged the expansion of CASA with passage of the Victims of Child Abuse Act, and today, 76,000 volunteers are “Speaking Up” for more than 251,000 abused and neglected children nationwide. The first CASA program in Nebraska started in 1986 in Sarpy County and the concept quickly spread to other areas of the state. We have 22 local CASA programs in Nebraska serving children in 55 counties.
CASA For Lancaster County is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit
CASA for Lancaster County is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit and complies with all state and federal laws. We raise the funds necessary to run our organization from a variety of sources including individual and corporate donations, foundation grants, fund raising events, National CASA and Nebraska CASA grants, and we are a United Way agency.