By KEIZERTIMES Staff
With its Keizer office lease expiring, CASA of Marion County is moving to Salem.
CASA has had office space at 3530 River Road N. in Keizer for several years.
The lease for that space was due to expire next spring, prompting CASA officials to explore other sites and seek space closer to the juvenile courthouse and other stakeholders in Salem.
CASA’s board of directors voted unanimously to move ahead with a lease for space at 454 17th St. N.E. in Salem, the organization announced in a press release Monday, Nov. 4.
“CASA has proudly called Keizer home for several years, and we will miss our Keizer neighbors,” said Randy Franke, board president.
However, he said, the new location “offers significant advantages for our team, starting with a shorter commute to juvenile court.”
CASA, which stands for Court Appointed Special Advocates, is a nonprofit that provides advocates for children in situations involving the court system. Judges appoint the advocates to appear on behalf of hundreds of children in foster care in Marion County Juvenile Court, located at 2970 Center St. N.E. in Salem. The nonprofit’s new Salem location is a three-minute drive from the juvenile court.
“My staff and I will dearly miss Keizer. We are deeply grateful for the kindness that the people of Keizer have shown us,” said Vanessa Nordyke, CASA executive director.
She said CASA will gladly return to Keizer to talk to neighborhood and civic groups about the organization’s work.
“And, I’m excited to report that we will be back in Keizer on Saturday, April 26, 2025, for our springtime fundraiser at the Keizer Civic Center,” she said.
Nordyke stressed that CASA’s “commitment to children” is countywide.
“We are duty-bound under Oregon law to stand up for abused and neglected children in Keizer, Woodburn, Salem, and other communities across Marion County. We will never stop advocating for our kids, no matter where they call home,” she said.
The Salem location also offers closer proximity to the Oregon State Legislature, where Nordyke and other CASA leaders plan to advocate for an increase in state funding.
For more information about CASA, call 503-967-6420 or visit www.casamarionor.org online.