Michael Piraino, National CASA Association

Michael Piraino has two goals when he gets on an airplane.
“I want the people next to me to understand what we do,” explains Mike, CEO of the National CASA Association, which promotes court-appointed volunteer advocacy for 225,000 abused and neglected children across the country. “I hope they’ll become one of our advocates or a board member of one of our local groups.”

Because maltreated children are not everyone’s foremost issue, Mike tries to make a broader point to his seatmates. “We all have some need to make a difference,” he continues. “I want them to see that they don’t have to change their lives completely to change their communities.”

CASA volunteers (sometimes called guardians ad litem) also illustrate how the charitable sector can collaborate with government. Court and government officials—often skeptical initially of the value of non-attorney volunteers—find that community-based advocates are valuable partners, helping everyone better understand the children and getting them more quickly into safe, permanent homes.

The importance of serving these children well helps explain why Mike participates in broad efforts such as the Panel on the Nonprofit Sector. His greatest interest is in accountability -- “Are we doing things in a smart way?” -- and joining sector-wide discussions enables National CASA and its 940 member organizations to contribute to and to learn from the successes of other organizations.

The importance of being effective is clear from the story of a CASA volunteer who took his child to the beach. “I’ve waited all my life for this day,” explained the boy: not only had he never seen the ocean, but “no one else has ever really listened to me.”

“I would have been happy to do that for one child in my life,” concludes Mike. “I’m floored that I can help others do it for 225,000 children a year.”

Learn more at www.nationalcasa.org.