CASA Celebrates Permanent Home and $100,000 Transformation in Rolla
ROLLA, Mo. — CASA of South Central Missouri is celebrating not one, but two major milestones that will reshape what the organization can offer children, volunteers and the community for years to come.
A transformational gift from the TKD Foundation allowed CASA to purchase its Rolla building, giving the organization a permanent home for the first time. Now, a $100,000 Lowe’s Community Impact Grant will help transform that home into a space designed to work even harder for CASA’s mission.
CASA was one of only 100 projects selected nationwide from more than 5,000 nominations and the only organization in Missouri chosen for a 2026 Lowe’s Community Impact Grant.
“This is a huge moment for CASA,” Executive Director Amber Stienbarger said. “The TKD Foundation gave us a permanent home and the freedom to dream bigger. Lowe’s is now helping us turn that dream into something real. Together, these two incredible investments completely change what is possible for the children and volunteers we serve.”
The renovation will include expanded areas for CASA volunteer training, learning and community collaboration, along with the creation of what the organization is calling a micro CASA Clubhouse.
The idea grew from CASA’s long-term hope of someday creating an entire child-centered clubhouse similar to the one operated by CASA in Springfield. Once CASA owned its Rolla building, the organization began looking at the available space differently.
Why wait to begin?
“We may not be able to build the entire dream today, but we have space right now,” Stienbarger said. “We can use it to begin creating something meaningful for children now.”
The micro CASA Clubhouse will offer a warm, welcoming environment where children can spend time with their CASA volunteers, read, play, work on homework or simply relax in a space intentionally designed for them.
CASA also hopes the space can eventually provide comfort during the difficult first hours after a child enters foster care, when caseworkers may be making phone calls and searching for a placement. The vision includes somewhere for a child to get something to eat, clean up, put on fresh clothes or sit comfortably while adults determine what comes next.
“This is much bigger than renovating an office,” Stienbarger said. “We are creating a place that tells children, from the moment they walk through the door, that they matter here.”
The transformation will extend beyond the building itself. Lowe’s associates from stores across Missouri will travel to Rolla for Red Vest Days, rolling up their sleeves alongside CASA to help complete the work.
“There is something powerful about people choosing to show up and serve,” Stienbarger said. “These Lowe’s employees will be giving their time and skills to create something for children they may never meet. That spirit of service is also at the heart of CASA.”
CASA of South Central Missouri recruits, trains and supports Court Appointed Special Advocate volunteers who advocate for children in foster care throughout Maries, Phelps, Pulaski and Texas counties. CASA volunteers get to know the children they serve, gather information from the people involved in their lives and advocate in court for each child’s safety, stability and well-being.
The organization’s work is powered by people and partnerships throughout the region: volunteers who give their time, donors who provide resources, businesses that lend their support and community organizations that believe in what is possible.
“The TKD Foundation and Lowe’s each said yes to this vision in a tremendous way,” Stienbarger said. “Now we have the responsibility and the opportunity to turn that support into something that makes difficult days a little easier for children. That is where all of this momentum is leading.”
For CASA, the purchase and renovation represent far more than a new chapter for an organization. They represent stability, room to grow and an opportunity to create something the community’s children may need during some of the hardest moments of their lives.
CASA now has a permanent home.
And thanks to the TKD Foundation, Lowe’s and a community that continues to show up, that home is about to become something extraordinary.
To learn more about CASA of South Central Missouri, becoming a CASA volunteer or supporting its work, visit www.casascmo.org.
About CASA of South Central Missouri
CASA of South Central Missouri recruits, trains and supports Court Appointed Special Advocate volunteers who advocate for the best interests of children in foster care throughout Missouri’s 25th Judicial Circuit, serving Maries, Phelps, Pulaski and Texas counties.
