Scott County Residents Sweep CASA Volunteer of the Month awards for May

CASA volunteers Glenn Burns and Carrie Gordy

Scott County residents Carrie Gordy and Glenn Burns swept CASA of Lexington’s Volunteer of the Month awards for May.

Gordy and Burns both earned Volunteer of the Month honors for doing outstanding work advocating for the abused and neglected children they serve.

“Sometimes it hurts your heart to see these kids,” Burns said. “But the second part of that is that it’s much better once you can help them.”

Burns has served as a Court-Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteer since 2019; Gordy has been a volunteer since 2017. Between them, they have advocated for more than 20 abused and neglected children in the local family court systems served by CASA of Lexington.

As CASA volunteers, they are matched to children who have suffered abuse or neglect. They visit the children monthly, talk to adults in the children’s lives and write reports for the judges. Children who get a CASA volunteer do better in school, get more services and are far less likely to re-enter care after their cases close.

“It’s a lot harder than I thought it would be,” Gordy said. “But it’s also a lot more rewarding. I learn new things every single day and it’s just a really good way to help children in need.”

Scott County Family Court Judge Lisa Hart Morgan has said the local CASA program leads to better outcomes for children.

"In every case where we have our CASA volunteers, I know we're getting better information about our children, I know fewer things are falling through the cracks, I know these kids are getting tremendous resources in terms of care,” Morgan said previously. “It's making a huge difference in these kids' lives."

CASA of Lexington Executive Director Melynda Jamison said Gordy doesn’t back down when it comes to advocating for children’s best interests.

“Carrie has the ability to see clearly what a child needs and to never waiver in her advocacy for those needs,” Jamison said. “That’s why she’s been able to change the entire trajectory of many children’s lives.”

Dennis Stutsman, Burns’ Volunteer Manager, said Burns has worked on three different cases now, each one more complex than the last.

“As he has taken on increasingly more difficult cases, he has risen to the task of cooperatively working with all parties for the best interest of the kids,” Stutsman said.

Burns said he has taken to heart the idea that “the measure of a society is how you treat the least members of the society.”

“If you really want to make a difference, it isn’t going to be your normal, everyday volunteer activity that makes that difference. It’s things like CASA,” he said. “If you really want to make a difference, you need to be focused on the changes in your society that will make that difference.”

Volunteering with CASA

Anyone interested in becoming a CASA volunteer can join the next new volunteer training class, which will be held the week of June 26. More information about the class is available at www.casaoflexington.org/training.