CASA of Val Verde County tees off inaugural golf fundraiser for children

Val Verde County children moving through CPS and court proceedings are the reason CASA of Val Verde County took to the golf course, with its inaugural fundraiser aimed at strengthening the volunteer advocacy network that now serves the county.

The tournament, listed on the Del Rio Chamber of Commerce events calendar as “Golfing Fore A Cause CASA Val Verde County,” brought the program’s mission into public view at a moment when the need remains sharp. CASA of Val Verde County is based at 315 E. Chapoy Street in Del Rio and serves children across Val Verde County through the Texas CASA network, which identifies it as an official local program.

Community support showed up in small but practical ways. Del Rio businesses donated water bottles and towels for the event, underscoring how local partners have begun to rally around a program that is still building its presence in the county. Those donations helped turn the fundraiser into more than a social outing; they directly backed the kind of volunteer recruitment and support CASA needs to place trained advocates with vulnerable children.

The stakes are plain in local court. In July 2025, the first group of CASA volunteers in Val Verde County was sworn in by County Court-at-Law Judge Sergio Gonzalez, marking a milestone for a program that was still taking root here. Gonzalez said he handles more than 98% of local CPS cases and was dealing with about 50 CPS cases at the time of the August 2025 report, a reminder of how many children’s cases move through one local courtroom.

Megan Martinez, the attorney described as executive director of CASA of Val Verde County, had already gone before Val Verde County Commissioners Court in December 2024 to seek county funding for the program. The golf tournament extended that effort into the community, pairing fundraising with a broader push to make sure children in foster care and court proceedings have a consistent adult voice beside them.

For Val Verde County, the fundraiser was not just about tee times and prizes. It was a sign that the county’s new child-advocacy infrastructure is beginning to take shape, one volunteer, one donor and one case at a time.