By Kienan Briscoe  |  Lynnwood Times Reporter

LYNNWOOD, WA – Puget Sound Chick-fil-A presented a virtual check to National CASA/GAL for $35,000 on February 19, in a recent partnership.

The partnership involved 14 stores throughout the Puget Sound area from Marysville to Lacey, taking a percentage of their sales from the week of January 11-16. The Lynnwood store alone raised over $3,000.

“The people of Lynnwood have a great spirit of generosity and giving back,” said Paul Rosser, owner/operator of the Chick-fil-A Lynnwood location. “For me it is important to give back to our community and we are doing our part at being a good steward to help others.”

Rosser has been a member of Chick-fil-A for over 20 years, serving as owner/operator since 2009 and managing the Lynnwood location since its opening in 2015. He began his career with Chick-fil-A at the age of 16 while attending the University of Tennessee and became an interim manager soon after graduating. He relocated to Lynnwood in 2015 where he has lived ever since.

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic had no effect on sales and the subsequent donation. Even with the closing of indoor dining, their innovative technology from mobile ordering to drive-through provided the Lynnwood Chick-fil-A the “infrastructure to remain steady” at no loss of sales, according to Rosser.

Like many of Puget Sound Chick-fil-A’s partnerships, National CASA/GAL was carefully selected.

The National Court Appointed Special Advocate/Guardian ad Litem Association (CASA/GAL) is an organization that helps provide court appointed volunteer advocacy for the best interest of children experiencing abuse and neglect. The mission statement and vision of the organization is, “A world where every child who has experienced abuse and neglect is given the opportunity to thrive in a safe and loving home.”

“We are very appreciative of the generous support from Puget Sound Chick-fil-A restaurants that enables the National CASA/GAL Association for Children to continue advancing our mission of supporting and promoting best interest advocacy for children who have experienced abuse or neglect,” in a statement provided to the Lynnwood Times by CASA/GAL.

The first CASA program originated in Seattle in 1977 by Superior Court Judge David Soukup.  He advocated to have volunteers speak for the best interests of abused and neglected children in the courtroom, according to CASA’s website.

Since then, this first CASA program has expanded into more than 951 CASA and guardian ad litem programs that continue to recruit, train, and support volunteers across 49 states and the District of Columbia. With over 96,000 volunteers, CASA/GAL continues to serve almost 300,000 children annually. Most of the children served are in foster care.

“We often look for organizations to partner with that involve issues like homelessness and hunger,” Rosser said, “And their mission aligned really well with our objective.”

The Lynnwood Chick-fil-A continues to look for opportunities to help within the community.  It plans to partner with the Edmonds School District in a ‘Cookies for Kids’ campaign that will donate 25 cents of every cookie sold. Its last school partnership raised over $2,500.

In the past Chick-fil-A has worked with and donated to the Alderwood Boys and Girls Club. For more information on National CASA/GAL, including opportunities to volunteer and donate, you can visit their website at www.casaforchildren.org.