About Us
Who We Are
Coconino CASA for Kids, (CCFK) is a local 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization that is completely led
and operated by volunteers. Coconino CASA for Kids was founded in 2011 by a small group of
community members who saw a need to support the CASA volunteers and the children, youth
and young adults that are involved with the Arizona Department of Child Safety. CASA is an
acronym for Court Appointed Special Advocate. CASAs are specially trained volunteers, certified
by the Arizona Supreme Court, who advocate for the best interests of abused and neglected
children and youth who are involved in a dependency in Coconino County.
Coconino CASA for Kids (CCFK) furthers its mission by awarding financial assistance for basic
needs and wants, such as food and bicycles, by organizing a Giving Tree over the winter
holidays, by supplying books for bonding between biological parents and their children, by
providing kinship families with assistance at the beginning of a case by supporting the courthouse dog, Franklin, and by helping the Arizona Department of Child Safety with needs at their Coconino county offices.
Over the years, CCFK has been funded through grants, individual donations, and other fundraising. Since 2019, the Arizona Department of Revenue has certified Coconino CASA for Kids as a qualifying foster care charitable organization for individual income tax purposes. This has allowed CCFK to concentrate on growing programs and providing more assistance to vulnerable children and families in the child welfare system. We greatly appreciate
the individuals who choose to support CCFK through this tax credit opportunity.
Who We Serve
Through various forms of assistance, Coconino CASA for Kids strives to help every child with a
dependency in Coconino County! We provide assistance to children served by CASAs of
Coconino County, to children with a dependency originating within Coconino County but
without a CASA, to children placed in Coconino County but with a dependency originating out of
a different county in Arizona, and to local children identified by the Arizona Department of Child
Safety as at risk and needing assistance to prevent removal of the children. In addition, we
continue to support those young adults who have “aged out” of the system without having been
adopted and with their official ties with their biological parents having been severed. The
number of children receiving assistance varies year to year but each year is well over two hundred children, youth and young adults.
CCFK supports the CASAs by offering gas cards for those traveling long distances for their
volunteer duties, by providing dollars for attendance at local, state and national trainings, and by buying books for an in-house book group. CCFK also helps the local CASA program with
recruitment of volunteers, with appreciation events, with Franklin, the courthouse dog, and with the on-site visitation room.
