Meadville, PA - January 2007

Imagine a knock at your door in the middle of the night and strangers give you 15 minutes to grab your possessions before you are taken away from everything that you have ever known. Undoubtedly, you would be frightened, angry and confused. This scenario and these feelings are a reality for over 20,000 Pennsylvanian children who enter the foster care system annually due to abuse or neglect, according to Belinda Raczka, Program Director for Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Crawford County.

Raczka and President of the Board of Director’s of Crawford County CASA, Francis Schultz, visited Tech Tool & Molded Plastics recently to thank the company for its efforts during the 2006 holiday season. Tech’s people helped over 18 children living in foster care and one entire family to celebrate Christmas with over $3,000 in much needed gifts.

“It is an important part of our culture at Tech to help others in the community, especially children. When we learned of CASA and the number of children they touch, we wanted to make their holiday a little brighter” stated Tracy Coon, Tech’s Human Resource Manager. “Our people came together and helped provide new toys, clothing, furniture and financial donations that inspired an overwhelming response from the children. We are already planning for next year.”

CASA was started in 1977 by a Seattle judge who conceived the idea of using community volunteers to safeguard and speak for the best interests of children entering court system. CASA’s mission is to provide a trained, volunteer advocate for children who are in the welfare system due to abuse or neglect. The advocates’ job is to enhance the children’s chances for finding a safe and permanent home in the shortest amount of time, with the least amount of trauma. CASA volunteers are trained, court appointed children’s advocates who research the facts of a case, provide facts to the judge, and act as overseers though out the life of a case seeing that it is brought to a swift and appropriate conclusion that is in the child’s best interests.

Tech Tool & Molded Plastics has a long history of community involvement and caring for its’ neighbors. In the early 1970’s, Tech began sponsoring youth sports like hockey and soccer. As the company has grown, so has the culture of care. “Your amazing generosity towards people that you do not know and will probably never meet has given me new faith in the generosity and kindness of the human spirit” said one CASA family advocate.

CASA is a national organization and is has offices in 19 Pennsylvania counties. However, there is still much work to be done. CASA is only able to help less than one-third of the children who are in foster care. To help support your local CASA program you can donate money, time through volunteering, skills (Public Relations), services (printing, accounting, fundraising) or equipment (office or computer).

Learn more about this program at www.nationalcasa.org.