When a family with a heart for children faced adversity in their own lives, they became what others have called real-life “angels on earth” and this family is now being honored for their life’s work.
CASA of Tulare County announced the inaugural recipients of its newly minted Carpenter Champion for Children Award are Visalia residents Mike and Joan Carpenter. The Carpenters received their award on April 25, 2025, before hundreds of well-wishers at the Once Upon A Dream gala, the fundraiser that supports CASA’s mission of speaking up for the neglected and abused children of this county in juvenile court.
This perpetual annual honor recognizes the work of individuals, families or businesses whose contributions reflect the same dedication and commitment that transforms the lives of children.
The Carpenters’ commitment to children began decades ago in St. Louis, MO, when the couple began to foster children in their own home. Their generosity provided a nurturing environment to children in need while at the same time providing a shining example of advocacy for their own two sons. A move to Visalia in the 1980s carried that same generosity here when the couple discovered CASA and a way to continue helping children. Son Ryan shared his parents’ connection to children but sadly lost his own life just as he had become a dad himself. The Carpenters honored his memory, through the Carpenter Family Children’s Foundation, by establishing the Ryan M. Carpenter Memorial Building which provided CASA with a permanent home in Tulare County.
“The Foundation, in its very first act, offered the building to us for just $12 a year,” said Alberto Ramos, Executive Director of CASA of Tulare County. “That gift of stability gave CASA roots after years of uncertainty.”
The Foundation did more than care for CASA, it provided scholarships for promising students, financial support for families in crisis, and much more, leading to community members referring to them as “angels on earth.”
After Joan Carpenter completed her term of service on the CASA Board of Directors, her letter of resignation said, in part: “CASA is in the business of saving children… [and] when I lost my son, CASA helped save me. Each time I park my car and see his name on the building sign, I am lifted up.”
A permanent plaque will be placed in the CASA office honoring the Carpenter’s foundational contribution, with room for annual recipients. Each recipient will also receive a replica of the bronze statue of Ryan Carpenter and his children that is on display in the CASA lobby.
Later this year, CASA will host a ceremony to unveil a permanent building sign that bears Ryan Carpenter’s name.