(Globe, AZ—April 24, 2019) April is National Volunteer Appreciation Month, and to celebrate, on Wednesday April 24, 2019 CASA of Gila County showed their appreciation for the volunteers who are donating their time to be Court Appointed Special Advocates for local children in foster care.
“From our actively assigned CASAs to our new applicants, we are grateful for the time and dedication they donate to our local children,” said Emily Leverance, coordinator for CASA of Gila County. “These children are living in placements outside of their own homes due to abuse or neglect, at absolutely no fault of their own and these selfless individuals are working to make a difference for the children while they are in care”.
CASA volunteers are appointed to a case by a judge and spend approximately 15 hours per month completing various tasks such as visiting the child involved in the case and researching what is happening in that child’s life. They act as the eyes and ears of the court and send a report to the judge before each court hearing so the judge has complete and unbiased information to base decisions on—in addition to the reports a judge receives from child welfare professionals.
“We are still in dire need of more volunteers to meet the number of children in out of home care in southern Gila County” said Leverance. “Southern Gila County includes children from the Globe, Miami, Hayden, and San Carlos communities. Even with these amazing individuals, we are not able to reach our goal of providing an advocate for every child.”
The program welcomes any volunteer who meets the eligibility requirements regardless of their employment status. Volunteers must be 21 years of age or older, a U.S. citizen, and pass a thorough screening process. There is no specific degree or experience needed to become a CASA volunteer. All training for the position is provided at no cost to the volunteer.
More volunteers are needed for this important position. CASA volunteers provide a valuable service to judges and also become the one consistent person in the life of a child who is in foster
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