Two Advocates for Abused and Neglected Children Named Volunteers of the Month for April

CASA Volunteers of the Month for April 2021 Pat Riddell and Carrie Gordy.

CASA of Lexington’s Volunteers of the Month for April are Pat Riddell and Carrie Gordy.

Riddell has been a CASA volunteer for almost two years and has advocated for three abused and neglected children during that time.

Like many people, he hadn’t heard about Court-Appointed Special Advocates or the need for them to help abused and neglected children in central Kentucky. He plays pickleball, one of the fastest growing new sports in the nation, and one day a pair of fellow pickleball players who are also CASA volunteers told him about what they do.

“Upon hearing what CASA was all about, I decided I need to look into becoming a volunteer,” he said. “For years, I had been dismayed by media accounts of the abuse and neglect of a great number of children, especially in Kentucky. But I was not aware of any way to help with this horrible reality.”

Since completing his volunteer training, Riddell has been an outstanding advocate for children’s needs, said his Volunteer Manager Cara.

“He has been patient and thoughtful in working his case and works well with collateral sources including relatives and schools,” she said. “He is understanding, compassionate and empathetic, and he maintains an objective point of view when working his cases.”

Riddell said he enjoys the sense of accomplishment he gets from working a case and seeing a positive change in a child’s case.

“As a CASA volunteer, you become more aware of the magnitude of the problem of child abuse in our own state,” he said. “For anyone thinking about becoming a CASA volunteer, I would strongly encourage them to do it. The amount of support and guidance you receive from the CASA staff is excellent.”

CASA of Lexington’s other Volunteer of the Month, Carrie Gordy, is a veteran CASA volunteer who has advocated for 10 children over the course of almost four years. She is a Scott County resident, and last year became the first CASA of Lexington volunteer to serve in that county.

A retired pediatric nurse practitioner, she discovered CASA of Lexington when she was looking for a way to continue helping children after she retired.

“I read an article about CASA and got very excited about the possibility,” she said. “I did the CASA training and the rest is history.”

Gordy’s Volunteer Manager Mary Beth said she is willing to tackle difficult situations and take on complex cases.

“Her tenacity makes her a great fit for the types of cases we see in Scott County, which tend to be very involved both at the family and provider levels,” she said. “Carrie truly sees the value in her role as a CASA volunteer, and I think that’s why she works her cases so thoroughly, to provide the judge with the complete picture of a child’s life.”

Gordy said she loves how being a CASA volunteer lets her interact with and help children in need.

“I love being able to contribute in some small way to happy endings for those kids,” she said.