What We Do

The heart of our work: the CASA Volunteer and those that support them.

ProKids is a nonprofit agency that provides outstanding volunteer advocacy for abused and neglected children in Hamilton County, who — through no fault of their own — are in the child protection system. We recruit, train, and support CASA Volunteers to provide a powerful voice to these children.

Children assigned to a CASA Volunteer are successful. A national study shows that children with CASA volunteers spend less time in long-term foster care and move less often. At ProKids, our Outcome Measures demonstrate the effectiveness of CASA Volunteers.

A CASA Volunteer is a Court Appointed Special Advocate — a trained volunteer who advocates on behalf of the best interest of a child in the foster care system. A child in foster care has occasional court hearings where important decisions are made regarding the child’s future, including educational and medical needs, visits with family, and, most importantly, where the child will ultimately live.

Who speaks up for the child?

This is where a CASA Volunteer comes in.

Before being assigned to a child, each CASA Volunteer has an extensive background check and completes a training program. After being assigned to a child, the CASA Volunteer establishes a relationship with the child, investigates and watches over the child, and challenges the system to provide what is in the best interest of the child. The CASA Volunteer makes recommendations about services, living arrangements, and who should raise the child. The CASA Volunteer makes these recommendations most specifically to the Hamilton County Juvenile Court, which makes the final decisions about these children.

Our hope is to reunite children with parents who have learned to live differently, or, when possible, place them with relatives. The third option is to free these children for adoption.

A CASA Volunteer’s primary focus is getting children the help they need to heal. They work to move children out of the system and into a safe, permanent, and nurturing home. When a child’s case comes before the court, a CASA Volunteer ensures the child’s needs are heard and that the child’s interests are not lost in an overburdened system.

Who enables CASA Volunteers to serve our community?

This where our Committed Community of donors comes in.

Your donation will help us recruit, train, and support more volunteers so ProKids can someday give a voice to every child in the Hamilton County child protection system. Your gift is tax-deductible and can be designated in honor of someone’s birthday or celebration, or in memory of a friend or loved one.

There are many ways to help:

Give a Donation

Your support makes a vital difference in serving our children.

Be Part of Our Breakfast

Our annual event invites you to learn about our children and to give us your support.

Give in Other Ways

Sponsorships, event hosting, even giving tangible items: all these things support ProKids in its mission.

Give the Perfect Gift

You can present a beautifully wrapped package to a family member or friend, acknowledging your donation in their honor and sharing a story about one of our children.

Designate ProKids in a Partnership Program

You can contribute to ProKids through the Amazon Smile program and/or the Kroger Plus Card/Community Rewards program. Note that the Kroger program – which will not impact your fuel points – needs to be renewed each year.