History
Community Athletic Sports Academy (CASA) was founded in 2008 by a group of passionate volunteers committed to serve the community at large. The founders were from very different backgrounds. This diversity provided valuable perspectives which helped shape CASA’s all inclusive approach.
CASA was created to help promote family integration through sports and education and provide the “HOME” environment where our youth can have the integral healthy development which allows them to enjoy their lives more. We want to help them become the best self they can be. As direct consequence of investing in them now, they will become valuable resources for others in the near future. We want to help develop skillful-compassionate individuals which will develop into active elements in the improvement of our communities.
Our first focus is on inner city youth and their families. Initially, we started providing our services in the Westwood neighborhood in West Denver. We started as after school program on three elementary schools. Our hope is that eventually we can provide our services to all academic institutions in the metropolitan area. We strive to combine the fun of sports and the importance of academic development; alongside the natural friendships that sports generate, among inner city youth and their families.
In 2009 CASA formalized a partnership with VISUM LLC, which allowed CASA to have priority use and rates at VISUM Sports Complex, located at 5351 W. 6th Ave, Lakewood CO, 80214. This strategic partnership helped CASA to have a home where we can promote the values we encourage and also, it gave CASA a space to start the academic efforts of the organization.
The first attempt on the education side, was a partnership with the American Diabetes Association (ADA), together we implemented nutrition classes for our inner city families. Thanks to the ADA which donates all the materials and the educators to impart the classes and thanks to VISUM which donates the space for our classes, and makes them convenient for our participants, the classes are completely free and a complete success. Cooking classes are in the works for parents so they can learn how to cook nutritious meals cheaply for their families, and times when study sessions can be held so the kids can focus on their academics. This is very important to the mission of CASA, because while soccer is the keystone of the organization, it is meant to be a reward for working hard at school and at home. Through soccer they learn the value of hard work and discipline, and are exposed to positive role models which impress upon them the value of an education.
In 2011, The Design-Build Studio of the U.C. Denver College of Architecture and Planning chose to help CASA make improvement to their facility as their semester studio project.
There are a lot of partnerships being developed with very important organizations. These partnerships will allow CASA’s mission to reach more inner city youth in the near future.
History is every day, and we all are consistently writing it, THANK YOU VERY MUCH TO ALL THE WONDERFUL VOLUNTEERS who have made CASA. The organization would not be what it is without the help of everybody involved in every sense, either coaching, helping with the classes, building, helping on the construction efforts, cleaning, setting up the fields, etc, etc, it will be impossible to mention everybody but it would not have happened without ALL of you. In the name of the kids benefited from your efforts, we want to sincerely THANK YOU!!