During the fall of 2017 the Honorable Correy R. Smith inducted four new volunteers to the Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court of the Commonwealth of Virginia for the 25th Judicial District to perform the duties of Court Appointed Special Advocates.
Danese Mabbitt, Hilary Bride, Jeff Jones and Evelyn Nyong’a will be volunteer Court Appointed Special Advocates serving children in Staunton, Waynesboro and Augusta County.
The newly appointed CASA volunteers join over 50 other dedicated community members who have been trained and are advocating for foster children. As officers of the court, they ensure that the children’s needs are recognized and best interests are considered both in the courtroom and in the community.
CASA volunteers are asked to meet with the child regularly and are authorized to interview people in the child’s life such as social workers, attorneys, and teachers. They attend court hearings with the child and report their findings to the judge.
More advocates are still needed for the more than 200 local children who enter the foster care system without a CASA volunteer. There are no prerequisites for becoming a CASA volunteer other than being at least 21 years of age, clearing an extensive background screening and successfully completing 30 hours of training.
The next advocate training session will be held in early spring. If you are interested in learning more about becoming a CASA volunteer and the rewards that come along with serving as the voice of a child, please contact Angela Crawford, 540-213-2272 or [email protected] or visit casa4children.org .
CASA for Children is a member of the National CASA Association, a network of more than 900 CASA programs serving children in 49 states and Washington, D.C.
About CASA for Children
CASA for Children is a non-profit that trains volunteers to advocate for children who have been removed from their homes due to abuse or neglect. In the area that we serve, that stretches over the counties of Rockbridge, Augusta and Rockingham there are over 300 children in foster care. Currently we advocate for 100 of these children each year. Our capacity to serve more children is directly tied to community awareness and support. If you would like to learn more or schedule an interview with our Executive Director, Juan Pablo Molina, please contact our office.
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Chris Graham
