Casey Family Programs marks its 50^th anniversary today.

As the nation’s largest operating foundation focused on safely reducing the need for foster care and building Communities of Hope for children and families across America, Casey Family Programs works to influence long-lasting improvements to the safety and success of children, families and the communities where they live.

Jim Casey, the founder of United Parcel Service, saw a critical need 50 years ago to ensure that our nation’s most vulnerable children have safe, stable families who would provide the support needed to succeed in life. When Jim was just 14, his father died, and as the eldest child he felt responsible for taking care of his mother and three siblings. As he was building a fledgling bicycle messenger service, started in 1907 in Seattle’s Pioneer Square, into the world’s largest delivery and logistics company, Jim noticed that his most effective workers came from strong families.

Those experiences and his vision led him to generously invest his resources to create Casey Family Programs in 1966 to provide long-term families who would love and invest in children who needed homes. His gift was intended as the foundation of a long-term effort to transform the way our nation serves our most vulnerable citizens and fosters their hope in the future.

“We are honored to commemorate the remarkable legacy of Jim Casey, a humble man with no children of his own, who saw the need for every child to have hope and a future,” said Bob Watt, Chair of Casey’s Board of Trustees. “Our country can follow in that wisdom to support all of our vulnerable children and families.”

As one of the most important corporate leaders and innovators of his time, Jim Casey understood that ensuring the safety and success of every child was critical to the continued prosperity of our nation. “The destiny of all of us is, to a large extent, in the keeping of each of us,” he said.

The foundation started with a specific focus on providing high-quality foster care and has served more than 34,000 children and families through direct services. Casey Family Programs recognized that it could have greater impact on families and children by working to support long-lasting improvements across entire child welfare systems and jurisdictions. Today, the foundation provides strategic consultation, technical assistance, data analysis and independent research and evaluation at no cost to all 50 states, as well as county and tribal child welfare jurisdictions across the nation.

Drawing on five decades of working on the frontlines of change, Casey Family Programs shapes it work around four simple and powerful beliefs:

• Every child deserves a safe, stable and permanent family.
• Every family should have the support of a strong and caring community.
• Every community can create hope and opportunities for its children and families.
• Everyone has a role to play in building Communities of Hope.

“The past 50 years have been a testament to how commitment, expertise and investment can improve the lives of children, families and communities,” Watt said. “Casey Family Programs believes the next 50 years will show how communities across our nation can come together to nurture the safety, success and hope of every child.”