Blessing was found with her parents, who were abusing drugs and illegally squatting in an apartment. Just one year old, Blessing was underweight, developmentally delayed and appeared emotionally detached. Her parents were incarcerated, and Blessing was placed in foster care.

Blessing's Dallas CASA volunteer Carrie knew the toddler could thrive with family, but was there family who could step up?

Morgan Bywaters, 28, came to Dallas CASA looking for the right volunteer fit for her passions. Now, three years later, she's found a calling and is working her third case.

What's Morgan's favorite part about being a volunteer? That one's easy - the children!

Dallas CASA's 2024 Annual Impact Report recognizes that change in the child welfare system is a constant. During the challenging transition to privatized case management that began in Dallas County last year, Dallas CASA volunteer advocates and professional staff, with support from the agency's board, have been committed to the needs of children and families. With your support, Dallas CASA has been able to stand in the gap, continuing to make caring connections with each child and assuming those broader responsibilities necessary to keep children safe and restore a sense of childhood.

On one special day each September, the Communities Foundation of Texas presents North Texas Giving Day, a day when a percentage of every gift North Texans make to their favorite charities is matched. Since North Texas Giving Day's inception in 2009, the event has raised more than $635 million for more than 3,000 local nonprofit organizations spanning more than 30 cause areas. North Texas Giving Day is the largest community-wide giving event in the nation.

We invite you to make a donation to Dallas CASA on North Texas Giving Day on September 18. Early giving began August 28.

Dallas CASA's own Chad Frymire, director of public policy, will be recognized with the ProtectHER award by New Friends New Life for his tremendous work combating sex trafficking in North Texas.

Chad has served as president of the North Texas Coalition Against Human Trafficking (NTCAHT) for over a decade and has been involved with the Office of the Governor's Care Coordination Multidisciplinary Team since its inception. At Dallas CASA, he has created anti-trafficking curriculum for advocates, allowing them to better serve youth who may be victims of trafficking.

“Through his tireless professional leadership and his personal connection to the horrors of this brutal industry, Chad is a courageous and kind voice in the anti-trafficking space and a living example of what it looks like to turn pain into purpose,” said NFNL's CEO Bianca Davis.

September is recognized as National Kinship Care Month, a time to celebrate kinship caregivers.

• Kinship care arrangements often involve grandparents, siblings, aunts, uncles or trusted family friends stepping in to provide stability and support when parents are unable to care for their children. 🔗
• As of June 2025, there are 6,357 Texas children in foster care in kinship arrangements. With 16,173 children statewide in foster care, kinship care accounts for about 39% of foster care placements. 🔗
• According to the Grandfamilies & Kinship Support Network, as of September 2024, about 2.5 million children are being raised in kinship/grandfamilies in the United States. The U.S. Census Bureau reports that in 2023, approximately 7.8 million children were living in homes headed by relatives. 🔗

Texas CASA introduced the Collaborative Family Engagement program in 2023, and Dallas CASA was one of three pilot programs. The program aims to engage, find and work with family members. You can learn more about CFE, including access to videos, handouts and a training class, here.

Please join Dallas CASA at the Champion of Children Award Dinner on October 9 at the Fairmont Dallas. Dallas CASA will be honoring Goldman Sachs with the Jan and Judge Barefoot Sanders Champion of Children Award. The dinner is being co-chaired by Pam Busbee, Christie Carter and Megan and David Martinez.

Are you interested in providing holiday gifts to children in foster care? Most children dream of receiving special gifts during the holidays. But for children in protective care, life is so uncertain and full of change that they can't be sure of what the season will bring. Thanks to Dallas CASA's incredible supporters, in 2024, contributors provided gifts for more than 1,500 children. Some ways to help include:

• Fulfill a child or family's wish list.
• Collect gift cards, which will be used to purchase gifts for children and teens.
• Host a toy drive to support children who come into care over the holidays.
• Make an online donation.

To learn more about our Holiday Gift Giving program, contact Sharon Balaban at 469-547-9455 or email.