CASA volunteer gives siblings a voice, helps reunite them in the same home
CASA Volunteer Stuart Bennett
When Stuart Bennett was first assigned as the CASA volunteer for a set of siblings in the foster system, they were living in separate homes in different counties. Today, the siblings are living and thriving together in a stable home — something Stuart has been credited with helping to make happen.
“Without Stuart’s unwavering dedication and advocacy, these children would still be separated,” said Rebecca Brereton-Farr, Stuart’s Volunteer Manager at CASA of Lexington. “He was their voice. And even when it felt like no one was listening, he continued being that voice. He ensured that these siblings stay bonded and together.”
For his hard work on this case and others during his four and a half years as a CASA volunteer, Stuart has been named a CASA Volunteer of the Month.
Stuart visited the siblings in different homes around the state every month and advocated for their reunification once the opportunity arose. Brereton-Farr said Stuart pushed repeatedly for the siblings to be placed together, but even when it seemed no one was paying attention, “Stuart kept going.”
Stuart, who has also spent time volunteering with therapeutic riding organizations, said he finds serving as a CASA volunteer rewarding because “you’ve helped in some way to get kids out of bad situations and into stable family settings.”
CASA volunteers are trained and supported by CASA of Lexington staff and matched with children in the family court system who have been abused or neglected. Each volunteer visits their child monthly, talks to adults in the child’s life, reads through educational and medical records, and provides written reports to the judge on the case.
CASA reports give judges a lot more information about a child’s situation, enabling the judge to make more informed decisions. And because CASA volunteers are regular people, not attorneys or social workers, they provide a fresh perspective and keep everyone focused on the needs of the child in the case.
CASA of Lexington has hundreds of volunteers serving seven central Kentucky counties, but there are so many family court cases that only about one out of every five children receive a CASA volunteer. Last year alone, there were nearly 1,600 children in the organization’s service area who suffered abuse or neglect.
Stuart said it would be great if more people signed up to be CASA volunteers.
“Getting involved could be the most important volunteer opportunity imaginable,” he said. “There is no question that you can make a difference.”