Bourbon Co. resident has found a way to help children in need by serving as a CASA volunteer

Since her parents were also foster parents, Loretta Craft grew up seeing what foster children had been through. 

CASA Volunteer Loretta Craft

So when her former boss told her about the CASA program in Bourbon County, Craft signed up. 

“I want to be able to help children that are in the foster care system and CASA gives me the option to do so,” she said. “The most rewarding part of being a CASA volunteer is getting to know the children that I am serving. I enjoy learning about them as a person — their likes, their dislikes.” 

Craft has served as a CASA volunteer for nearly two years, and she has excelled in the position, said Gudrun Allen, Craft’s Volunteer Manager. Because of her excellent work for children, Craft has been named a CASA volunteer of the Month for the Bourbon County CASA program. 

“She is persistent, and she also handles changes on her case with a calm and gentle manner,” Allen said. “She is an excellent advocate for children’s educational and therapeutic needs.” 

As a CASA volunteer, Craft is matched with abused or neglected children in the Bourbon County family court system. She visits the child she is matched with frequently, showing the child that someone cares and giving the child hope for the future. She also talks with everyone involved in the child’s life and checks to see if the child is getting all the medical and educational care they need. 

Craft brings everything she learns back to Bourbon family court Judge Lisa Hunt Morgan and everyone else involved in the child’s case. Her reports make it easier for Morgan to order services the child needs.  

CASA volunteers typically spend 5-10 hours a month volunteering and commit to 2 years of service. One CASA volunteer improves outcomes for two children every year, on average. 

Craft said serving as a CASA volunteer is rewarding because she can actually change the life of a child in need. 

“We can be the child’s safe haven from the neglect and pain they have felt — or just a friend to spend time with,” she said. 

To learn more about the CASA program in Bourbon County or to inquire about becoming a volunteer, email bourboncounty@casaoflexington.org or call (859) 246-4313.