CASA Hawaiʻi

09/09/2026

Hurricane Lala tore through Kaʻū on August 15th. Over 100 homes were damaged or destroyed. Highway 11 cut off in both directions. Communities without power or water for weeks, quoted Sept 8th.

By Monday morning, the Ticket to Dream Foundation | Foster Care Nonprofit Foundation reached out to Friends of CASA Hawaii, before we asked. They’d been watching the news and wanted to know whether any of our resource caregivers needed help.

48 hours later, $5,000 was committed and wired.

What that actually looked like on the ground: the shelves in Ocean View’s grocery stores were empty. Gas cans, water jugs, generators were sold out. Highway 11 was damaged, so Hilo was unreachable. The nearest stocked stores were in Kona, 50 miles each way, and caregivers were making that drive repeatedly for gas, water, and food.

Along with the gift cards, we sent handwritten cards. Certified mail, so they’d actually arrive.

Thank you, Kayla and the Ticket to Dream Foundation | Foster Care Nonprofit Foundation, for showing up before anyone had to ask, and to the caregivers doing the hardest work in the hardest conditions!

08/12/2026

The best community partnerships begin with a simple question- “what do you actually need?” That’s exactly how the AREAA Hawaii members reached out to Friends of CASA Hawaii. They wanted to do something meaningful for foster keiki in our islands. And they came to meet us at the Family Courthouse, ready to listen, hands full of supplies.

Here's what we told them.

The Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) Program operates under the Hawaiʻi State Judiciary's Family Court. Trained community volunteers are appointed to children in foster care — meeting with them monthly, building real relationships with the child, their biological family, and their caregivers. CASAs make sure these keiki get their educational, medical, and emotional needs met, and they conduct independent investigations so the judge has accurate, current information when making decisions that shape a child's life.

Because CASA is a state program, it cannot accept donations. That's why Friends of CASA Hawaiʻi was created in 2008 — to step in where the state can't.

What that support looks like:

🎂 Birthday Smiles — because every kid deserves a birthday
🎁 Holiday gifts
📱 Cell phones and monthly service for youth
🚗 Driver's Education assistance
🎒 Back to School Jam — foster youth shop for their own supplies, on us
🧳 Transition backpacks for youth aging out of the system

That last one is where the need is most urgent right now.

Youth aging out of foster care face a wide range of circumstances. Some have stable housing. Some have none — and housing vouchers and rental assistance have become increasingly difficult to access. For those preparing to live independently, the needs are painfully basic: full-size toiletries instead of travel minis. A rice cooker. Pots and pans. Towels. Toilet paper.

The things most of us never had to think about, because someone helped us get started. Children in foster care didn’t choose their circumstances. They’re removed from their homes, families, schools, neighborhoods, and friends; sometimes their siblings. What we’re able to is help normalize their anything-but-normal lives.

Interested in supporting Friends of CASA? We’d love to hear from you.

08/02/2026

We were gifted with 5 boxes of brand new clothing and accessories from happy nation a Victoria's Secret line for our tweens and teens! A bunch of jackets, hoodies, shorts, PJs, socks, beanies, bags, water bottles, sunglasses, and underwear. Join us in thanking our community partners Ticket to Dream Foundation | Foster Care Nonprofit and Victoria’s Secret for making these otherwise costly clothes and essentials a barrier. Let’s gear up for another great year of school! Mahalo from all of us, Friends of CASA Hawaii!

07/26/2026

Summer is coming to a close- which means that we’re buckling up for a new school year season ahead! Friends of CASA Hawaii would like to thank our partners Ticket to Dream Foundation | Foster Care Nonprofit and Famous Footwear whose generosity allowed us to facilitate our annual Back To School Jam! We welcomed scholars to shop for their desired school supplies- from backpacks, hydration vessels, and more! Thank you to our partner Fisher Hawaii for their continued support year after year. We couldn’t do this without our generous sponsors and community partners. Mahalo!

04/25/2026

Join team Friends of CASA - Hawai’i at this year’s Charity Walk to support Hawaiʻi’s foster keiki. All monies raised go directly to helping our foster youth. Lots of food, fun and all for such a great cause!

04/16/2026

04/16/2026

12/23/2025

On behalf of the CASA staff, we wish you and your loved ones a season filled with love, laughter, joy, peace and meaningful moments. Mahalo nui for your continued support to the program, keiki and families we serve and for the impact you make. We look forward to all we will accomplish in the coming year.

12/16/2025

We're honored to share that Friends of CASA Hawaiʻi was selected as the beneficiary of a generous $10,000 charitable donation from E Noa Corporation and the world‑famous Waikiki Trolley, made possible through their annual Trial of Fears Halloween thriller experience!
On behalf of our board, volunteers, and the keiki we serve, we wish to extend our deepest gratitude to Maki Kuroda, President & CEO of E Noa Corporation, for choosing to uplift Friends of CASA Hawai'i's mission. Maki shared that “we make it a priority to give back to the community. To me, this is part of being a responsible member of our island ‘ohana, lifting others when we have the ability to do so.”
That spirit of kōkua is exactly what strengthens Hawaiʻi’s communities. This contribution directly supports our work advocating for children in foster care across the islands — ensuring they have a voice, stability, and the support they deserve.

Celebrate the holiday season while supporting a company that gives back! Check out the Waikiki Trolley’s Holiday Lights Tour! Running through December 30th, 2025, it’s a magical open‑air ride through Honolulu’s festive displays, complete with sing‑alongs, photo ops, and a stop at Honolulu Hale to experience the iconic City Lights.
Mahalo nui loa to Maki and the entire E Noa team for standing with us and investing in Hawaiʻi’s keiki. Your commitment to giving back truly embodies what it means to be part of our island ‘ohana.

12/13/2025

It’s our favorite time of the year… we are so thankful to be able to make sure each of our CASA keiki receive a gift this holiday season in hopes it’ll bring some joy! We know how difficult it is for our foster keiki who may not get to experience the holidays as they’re used to, but we try our best to make it a happy one for them the best we can. Mahalo to Ticket to Dream Foundation, Famous Footwear and Toys for Tots for making this possible!

Wishing all of our children and families the happiest of holidays this year!