Columbia Gorge CASA renews commitment to Wasco County amid growing need for child advocates

THE DALLES — As the number of children entering foster care continues to rise in Wasco County, Columbia Gorge CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) is expanding its local presence through a new satellite office in The Dalles and the addition of seven newly trained volunteer advocates.

According to data from the Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) Office of Reporting, Research, Analytics and Implementation (ORRAI), the number of children in foster care in Wasco County increased by 38% between 2022-2025, highlighting the growing need for Court Appointed Special Advocates to serve children who have experienced abuse or neglect.

“Over the past fiscal year, Columbia Gorge CASA served 100 children — the highest number since the pandemic — but the need continues to outpace our growth,” said Christopher Janetzko, executive director of Columbia Gorge CASA. “Approximately 20 children in our service area are still waiting for a CASA volunteer. Every child deserves a consistent adult to advocate for their best interests, and our renewed commitment to Wasco County is about ensuring more children have that opportunity.”

On June 4, Columbia Gorge CASA celebrated the opening of its satellite office at 314 Lincoln St. in The Dalles with a ribbon-cutting ceremony in partnership with The Dalles Area Chamber of Commerce. The new office provides a welcoming space for volunteers and community partners while strengthening the organization’s ability to recruit and support advocates in Wasco County, said a news release.

That commitment continued on June 23, when Judge Karen Ostrye swore in a new cohort of volunteers, most of whom completed their training in The Dalles. The newly sworn CASA volunteers are Taylor England, Paula Lindquist, Tiana Peterson, Destiny Stohler, and Annette Stroud. Cassandra Nelson and Joe Stewart also completed training and will be sworn in at a later date.

Each volunteer completed 35 hours of training and will serve as a CASA, building relationships with children, gathering information from the important adults in their lives, and providing independent recommendations to the court to help judges make decisions that are in each child’s best interest, said the news release.

While these new advocates will make an immediate impact, more volunteers are still needed to ensure every child who qualifies for a CASA in Hood River, Wasco, and Sherman counties has one.

The next volunteer training begins in September. To learn more about becoming a CASA, visit gorgecasa.org or email training@gorgecasa.org.

Columbia Gorge CASA is partially funded through grants from the State of Oregon, United Way of the Columbia Gorge, the Ford Family Foundation, the James and Shirley Rippey Family Foundation, the Roundhouse Foundation, The Healy Foundation, and the Oregon Community Foundation.