CASA announces the winners of its inaugural art contest.

Pictured from left: Julia Tallach - Best in Show; Lindsay Laurent - CASA outreach director; Adilene Perez - 1st Place; Audrey Echols - 2nd Place; Samantha Murray - 3rd Place

By LINDSAY LAURENT

CASA for the Cross Timbers Area celebrated its four winners of the inaugural 'Open Your Hearts' art contest on March 24.

The winners were accompanied by family and CASA CTA staff. First through third place received a medal of recognition and our Best in Show winner received a certificate and a gift card. The Best in Show artwork will be digitized by local graphic designer, Rosemary Gutierrez, and used as the look of the upcoming Open Your Hearts fundraising campaign.

"We are so proud of our young artists and excited to see the art used in our upcoming fundraising campaign," said Mindy Wooley, executive director of CASA CTA. "Using a child's art to express the meaning behind the campaign meant so much to us and we couldn't be happier with our winning submissions. We also want to thank everyone who participated. Our judges had a tough time deciding our winners."

CASA is currently seeking volunteers in Erath, Eastland, Bosque and Hamilton counties. If you would like to volunteer with CASA, volunteer requirements and application are available on the website at https://casacta.org/volunteer.

"As the need for more CASA volunteers grows, so does our need for funding. This campaign is all about making sure our advocates receive the best training in order to properly advocate for the child(ren) and families they serve. We can't do that without your support."

Last year, CASA serviced over 130 children on 69 cases. CASA currently has a volunteer base of 40 advocates but is looking to increase that number due to the increasing number of children being placed in foster care.

"Most people aren't aware that CASA provides items such as air conditioning units, Halloween costumes, sports uniforms, and funds for after-school activities," said Wooley. "It is so rewarding for us to be able to completely fund advocates training and travel to visits, and to be able to provide necessary items to families to assist with reunification."

CASA for the Cross Timbers Area is a partner agency of the Erath County United Way.