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Council approves CASA grant applications; director warns of volunteer shortfall
Summary
Chastity Keller, Marshall County CASA director, requested approval to apply for a $15,843 matching GAL/CASA grant (85% county match required) and a $6,793 capacity-building grant; the council moved to approve both applications and expressed support as Keller described high caseloads and volunteer needs.
The Marshall County Council voted July 20 to allow the county’s CASA program to apply for two state grants after a short presentation from Chastity Keller, CASA director for Marshall County.
Keller told the council the state matching grant is for $15,843 and requires an 85% local match — $13,467 from county funds if the program accepts the award. She also described a capacity‑building grant of $6,793 that requires no county match. “To receive this money, I have to be able to write basically what I am going to do with it,” Keller said, adding the capacity grant must be tracked separately from other budget lines.
Keller detailed program capacity and need: the office has 16 volunteers available to take cases, one volunteer who assists in the office, and currently is assigned to 34 children with 35 children not yet assigned who have active DCS cases in Marshall County. She noted there were 104 hotline calls in May and said many volunteers donate travel time and mileage because several foster or licensed DCS homes are located more than an hour away.
Council moved to approve both grant applications (motion by Mr. Patterson, second by Mr. Shattuck) and the chair called for the voice vote; the motion carried. Keller said donated and foundation funds (including a $550 gift from Delta Theta Tau and a $3,000 donation routed through the Marshall County Community Foundation) are being held in a separate line and have not yet been spent.
What happens next: Keller will prepare the grant application materials and, if awarded, the council will need to consider the required local match for the $15,843 grant at a later meeting. The council also discussed the program’s volunteer recruitment needs and certification/training requirements for CASA volunteers.
