National CASA Awards of Excellence

National CASA is pleased to honor outstanding individuals and programs that provide hope to abused and neglected children with the Awards of Excellence. These awards commemorate the exceptional contributions and dedication of child advocates, program directors, judges, board members and CASA/GAL programs excelling in diversity efforts.

2010 G.F. Bettineski Child Advocate of the Year

Judy Fortlage, Clark County CASA Program, Vancouver, WA

Judy Fortlage is known for taking on the most difficult case situations. Her ability to connect with even the most frightened child is legendary. One of many examples involves three siblings who came into foster care in the summer. When Fortlage first visited the foster home, they all went into the backyard to talk. The 6-year-old skittered up into the little tree hovering over the picnic table. He just didn’t trust this stranger. But over a very few weeks, he began to respond to Fortlage’s warmth and honesty. In time, he began to ask when “his CASA” was coming to visit.

Over the past 20 years, Fortlage has become synonymous with CASA representation in her county. She has worked with 78 children and teens, many with severe mental health issues and educational deficits. Fortlage has also lent her voice to the needs of all abused children in her state while serving as board president of the Washington State CASA Association.

Accepting the award, Fortlage noted, “We don’t do this alone. We’re all in this together. And these children really need us.”

Fortlage went on to mention a friend who had worked in a war zone as a social worker. “She used to describe what she referred to as the ‘orphan look,’” she said. “It’s a look of bewilderment and pain and confusion. And CASAs know that you don’t have to go into a war zone to see that look. You can see it in children who have living parents. And as CASAs, we want that look to go away.”

Quoting a favorite saying that hangs on her wall, Fortlage added, “Those who say it cannot be done should not interrupt the people who are doing it!”

2010 National CASA Association Board Member of the Year

Diane Chester, CASA of Collin County, McKinney, TX

Diane Chester has been involved with the CASA program since becoming an advocate in 2001. She has worked with 16 children from newborn to age 16. Her passion and dedication to the organization fueled her desire to enlist other community members in support of the CASA program. This naturally led to her join the board in 2004 and serve as president for two critical years in the organization’s history. Chester has inspired and engaged board members to think outside the box. She set the stage for a new level of board engagement, with 100% of the board now contributing to the program as well as being involved in donor cultivation and strategic planning. As a result, the program has reached new levels in fundraising.

Chester noted in her acceptance speech, “I think we’re here for the same basic reason. And that is that our most precious connection is our children. That is the legacy that we leave behind. CASAs serve as the real-life angels for those children who are our legacy.”

2010 Kappa Alpha Theta CASA Program Director of the Year

Melissa Protzek, CASA of Allegheny County, Pittsburgh, PA

In 1996, Melissa Protzek joined CASA of Allegheny County as a volunteer. Since that time, she has served in every staff position within the organization. When she took the helm as executive director in 2005, she found herself in charge of an organization with no operating reserves surviving on a line of credit. Staff reductions had been instituted for the first time ever, volunteers were leaving, and there was no clear plan for improving the situation.

Protzek’s experience helped put the CASA program on a path for success. She took stock of the remaining assets the program possessed and took even, measured steps toward a plan of stability. She led the board and staff in fundraising efforts resulting in 145% revenue growth in just two years. The debt was erased, and a reserve fund was created. Protzek also focused efforts on recruitment, leading to 50% growth in the number of new volunteers and cutting attrition drastically. She worked with the board and staff to create an unprecedented 25-year plan that outlines annual budgetary and recruitment goals to allow for quadrupling the program’s service to children.

Accepting the award, Protzek said, "For me, CASA exists to give the children we serve an opportunity to experience life. Not anything magical or out of the ordinary. The focus of our work is to give children the opportunity to experience their own unique potential. It is always my hope that we have helped the children we serve feel love and certainty, just like my children feel."

To hear Melissa Protzek describe her program's efforts to become more inclusive, listen to a recent National CASA podcast or watch a video interview.

2010 National CASA Association Judge of the Year

Hon. Robert Brutinel, Presiding Judge, Yavapai County Superior Court, Camp Verde, AZ

Judge Robert Brutinel has championed the best interests of children since 1996. His concern for the children in his state is clear. For example, in association with Prevent Child Abuse Arizona, Judge Brutinel was a driving force in establishing the Best for Babies Initiative in 2004. Through this effort, medical, behavioral health and educational assessments are now based on a better understanding of the needs of infants and toddlers entering foster care. This is but one of many local, regional and statewide initiatives he has led that have resulted in improved outcomes for children.

In his acceptance speech, Judge Brutinel described what comes to mind when he considers CASA volunteers. “What I think about in addition to all the hard work, in addition to learning about the system, in addition to holding judges and the system accountable for how the system works—is consistency,” said Brutinel. “Since I’ve been a juvenile court judge for almost 15 years now, everybody’s changed. Nobody that I started with is still in the juvenile system. We see new case managers all the time. Treatment professionals change. The one constant I see in children’s lives is the CASA.”

2010 National CASA Association Inclusion Award

CASA New Orleans, LA

CASA New Orleans has exhibited outstanding leadership in achieving inclusion among its board members, staff and volunteers. Individuals from all socioeconomic, racial, religious and ethnic backgrounds come together in support of abused children. The program stresses cultural diversity and competency in its training of new advocates. But it also keeps this issue center stage at staff and board trainings and other meetings to address the fact that most of its volunteers have historically come from different socioeconomic and racial backgrounds than the children served.

The program has successfully increased its visibility in the African American community by participating in cultural events targeted to this population. As a result of implementing new outreach programs, creating a welcoming environment and setting specific goals over the past three years, CASA New Orleans has hired two men and increased the numbers of staff and board members of color. Most significantly, it has grown the number of African American volunteers from 6 to 49 and the number of male volunteers from 3 to 26.

Accepting the award was Executive Director Dellona Davis, who gave credit to her family court judge, Ernestine Gray, outgoing National CASA president. “Judge Gray said to me, ‘I expect excellence from the CASA program,’” said Davis. She added, “When I started as the executive director, Terene Bennett at National CASA said that my biggest challenge was going to be figuring out how to build inclusiveness and diversity into the program. Terene presented the challenge, and Judge Gray told me to fulfill it. What’s important about these two women is that they lead by example and they were there for constant encouragement and support. I could not have done this without them.”

Referring to New Orleans’ melting-pot culture, Davis added, “What National CASA has created, as Jimmy Carter said, is a ‘beautiful mosaic.’ In this room there are different beliefs, different values, different yearnings. But we are all here to celebrate and recognize what we do—not because of awards but because we believe in this mission.”