CASA Board Member Miranda Wyles Earns Governor’s Service Award for Volunteering
CASA of Lexington Board Member Miranda Wyles, center, accepts the Governor's Volunteer Service Award at CASA of Lexington on Oct. 7. At left is Bourbon County Judge-Executive Mike Williams; at right is CASA of Lexington Executive Director Melynda Jamison.
Lexington, Ky. (Oct. 12, 2020) – CASA of Lexington Board Member Miranda Wyles has been given a prestigious Governor’s Service Award for her tireless devotion to volunteering for good causes, including the expansion of court-appointed special advocate services.
Wyles is a recipient of the 2020 Volunteer Service Award, which recognizes individuals who have met a community need in an innovative or effective way. The Governor’s Service Awards are given out annually by Serve Kentucky, an agency within the Cabinet for Health and Family Services.
Wyles was nominated by CASA of Lexington Executive Director Melynda Jamison for her instrumental role in expanding CASA of Lexington’s service area, number of volunteers and number of children served.
“Mrs. Wyles has provided leadership, worked to develop a cohesive strategic plan, attended board development workshops and trainings, participated in statewide CASA trainings and interacted with our National CASA leadership,” Jamison said in her nomination. “In the past four years, the program has experienced explosive growth in terms of number of children served, number of active CASA volunteers and awareness in the community.”
In 2016, CASA of Lexington was providing advocates for abused and neglected children in Fayette County family court, but nowhere else. Wyles connected with CASA of Lexington when Jamison spoke to the Paris Rotary Club. Over the next year, Wyles and Jamison worked together to put a framework in place that would allow CASA of Lexington to begin providing services in Bourbon County.
Today, CASA of Lexington serves abused and neglected children in Fayette, Bourbon, Woodford and Scott counties.
Jamison also noted Wyles dedication to a wide variety of volunteer efforts beyond CASA of Lexington: She has been actively engaged with the Bourbon County Backpack Program, the Bourbon County Christmas Concert, the Spooktacular on the Steps event in Paris, the Paris Pike Corridor Commission and the Bourbon County Rotary. She is also a Women’s Inclusion Leader for Edward Jones, the founder of Hope Park and the co-founder of ARTWALK in Bourbon County.
“In addition to all of her volunteer work – and I’m sure I have left some out – she owns a local business and is a mother of two young children,” Jamison wrote. “I can think of none more deserving than Miranda Wyles and she would be an excellent choice for the Governor’s Service Award for Volunteering.”
Video Online
A video interview with 2020 Governor’s Volunteer Service Award winner Miranda Wyles can be watched on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/9yl_kdZMCac.