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February 6, 2012

EDITORIAL: Volunteer ‘army’ serving the needs of children

Anonymous ---- The Tribune Star Mon Feb 06, 2012, 05:00 AM EST

TERRE HAUTE — You know, of course, that casa means house. But do you also know that its all-capitals cousin, CASA, means home?

By CASA we refer to Court Appointed Special Advocates. By home we refer to the atmosphere CASA works to re-establish for the child whose family life has imploded because of abuse, neglect, crime or dysfunction.

CASA exists to speak for that child. It is an outstanding program, established in Vigo County in 1989, whose work is becoming increasingly important as families disintegrate at alarming rates and children end up in court.

Vigo County’s CASA, unlike others, also has established a 501(c)(3) spin-off, CASA Kids, which last week was one of 51 nonprofit groups that shared in $120,000 of funding from charitable trusts administered by First Financial Bank. CASA Kids uses those funds for everyday expenses that CASA children otherwise might not be able to afford: medical services, school supplies, clothing, athletic fees — the kinds of things that other kids regularly get from their families.

CASA has gained such significance statewide that it merited special mention in Indiana Supreme Court Chief Justice Randall T. Shepard’s “State of the Judiciary” speech on Jan. 11 — a summation of Shepard’s 25 years as chief justice, as he heads for retirement next month.

“When children went to court in the old days,” Shepard said, “too often no one really spoke for them because the parents were so focused on their own conflict.

“Today, Indiana’s courts have people who speak just for the best interests of the child — sometimes lawyers, but more often volunteer Court-Appointed Special Advocates, CASAs for short … an army of volunteers who speak for children.”

That’s what executive director Nikki Fuhrmeister, a small staff and a local “army of volunteers” do. A volunteer meets with everyone involved in a child’s case and attends court hearings to support the child — with the ultimate goal of what CASA calls “the best possible living solution for the child.” That might be reuniting with the parents, moving in with relatives or foster parents, or securing an adoption.

While that sounds like — and is — a lot of work for the volunteer, it also sounds like very rewarding work if the result can be helping a child attain a better chance at a good life. As in any social service, we are sure there also are frustrating, unproductive results when things just can’t be corrected, which is undoubtedly why CASA says it seeks volunteers who are “able to deal with complex emotional situations.”

These surely must be special volunteers, not those who just show up occasionally. CASA volunteers must pass a screening and interview process and then devote about 35 hours for initial training, 12 additional training hours per year and consistent attention to the child’s needs.

And those needs are great. In 2011, Vigo County CASA’s 120 volunteers served 320 abused and neglected children. Together those volunteers donated — for no pay — so many hours that they saved the county about $1 million in lawyers’ fees, had those hours been billable.

But more important than saved legal costs are saved societal costs. CASA was created because our kids were falling through the cracks of the court system.

Don’t let CASA fall through the cracks of your awareness. At the least, offer your moral support for the work it does. At the most, volunteer to help those 35 kids — down from 150 when our newspaper wrote about the program in 2006 — who are still on a waiting list to gain adult advocates for their young lives.

You can help

• To volunteer for CASA or contribute to CASA Kids: Go to VigoCountyCASA.com, call (812) 231-5658 or visit the office at 141 Oak St.

 

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