CASA’s funding could be restored

Two grants that were held up when a North Idaho children’s advocacy agency discovered it was missing money could be restored soon.

Jim Elder, vice president of North Idaho CASA’s board of directors, said the board had a positive meeting last week with state and national CASA representatives that was meant to free up two major funding sources. The two grants would bring about $60,000 to the financially troubled organization.

CASA also is trying to restore funding from the Idaho Law Foundation.

Between the foundation and the grants, CASA could receive $90,000 to $100,000, Elder said. But that’s still about $60,000 short of what’s needed to keep the program running and rehire CASA’s five paid employees, who recently were laid off.

The layoffs came in the wake of a missing-money scandal that put the local Court Appointed Special Advocates chapter in the hole.

Former director Rhonda Naylor reportedly spent $30,000 to $120,000 without board approval. An audit is under way to determine exactly how much money is missing.

Elder said that as soon as the local CASA chapter reported the missing funds to the parent organization, “it shut off any money we had coming.”

“We notified them,” Elder said. “We did what we were required to do, and they slammed the door.”

Now, Elder said, CASA’s board must prove it’s capable of handling the money. A financial review, or audit, of the local chapter should be complete early next month, he said.

Despite CASA’s financial woes, volunteers, former employees and the community have been supportive, Elder said. About 200 volunteers are serving as court advocates for about 600 children in Idaho’s five northern counties through the local CASA office.

The employees were laid off so they could collect unemployment benefits, Elder said, but some are continuing to work for CASA as volunteers.

Del Taco held a fund-raiser, donating a portion of the restaurant’s opening-day proceeds to CASA, plus $500. More fund-raisers are being planned, Elder said.

Those fund-raisers, along with contributions from the community, will help keep CASA alive, Elder said.

“CASA will emerge a much stronger and more effective organization when we’re through this,” he said. “I can guarantee that.”