You can help support child victims of crime from the City of San Luis Obispo by joining the Hike for CASA occurring throughout the month of May. This unique awareness event brings attention to abused and neglected children—right here in our city. It highlights the efforts of SLO CASA helping to improve their health, education, and welfare by providing a highly trained adult volunteer who often becomes the one person a foster child can count on for friendly weekly visits, advocating for their interests at court, and seeing that their health and education needs are met.

With assistance from the Grants in Aid program of the City of San Luis Obispo, the all-access Hike for CASA welcomes people to enjoy our beautiful community’s trails for every ability. Participants will receive CASA branded items to display while they walk, ride, stroll, roll, or wheel on sanctioned local trails and paths, then log their activities on a virtual “passport”. It is a great way to help others, in a safe manner, at your own pace, and on your schedule. CASA will award prizes to top individuals in multiple categories! All people and all ages—in families, groups, and singles—are welcome. Supporters are also encouraged to post about their activities on social media using the hashtag #HikeforCASA.

An all-access activity for people of all abilities, the Hike for CASA is a self-scheduled event where those who support abused and neglected children can walk, ride, stroll, or wheel on trails and pathways throughout the county.

“Children with a CASA volunteer are more likely to finish high school, they spend less time in costly foster care, and they are more likely to find a safe, permanent home. CASA volunteers enhance social justice for abused children. Please help us assure these children never “fall through the cracks” of the child welfare system,” asks Teresa Tardiff, CASA’s Executive Director.

Sign up today at https://slocasa.ejoinme.org/HikeforCASA

This is CASA’s 28th year of providing advocacy for court-dependent children in this county who have been abused and neglected. Most of the youth CASA serves live in foster care and face many challenges to their health, education, and general well-being. It is the dedicated CASA volunteer who becomes the child’s advocate and trusted, consistent adult, regardless of changes to the child’s school or place of residence. In 2020, CASA volunteers served 329 children, dedicating over 10,000 hours to improving their lives.

For more information about volunteering or donating, please contact staff@slocasa.org

Instagram: SLOCASA  |  Facebook: CASAofSLO  |  Website:  http://slocasa.org

About CASA of San Luis Obispo: We are a 501c3 charitable organization, founded in 1993. We recruit, train, and supervise community volunteers who advocate for the best interests of youth in our county who have been abused and neglected. On a typical day, over 400 children are under the court’s care in this county. CASA provides a dedicated, one-on-one advocate to as many of these children as possible.