42 Woodford County Children Picked From the CASA Joy Tree; 16 More Still Need Gifts
Woodford County community members and staff at lakeshore Learning will be providing 42 abused and neglected children with gifts this holiday season, following the CASA Joy Tree kickoff event in Midway on Monday.
Another 16 Woodford County children still need generous people to step up and buy them gifts so they do not go without this Christmas.
"Sometimes, it can be a small action and we may not get to see firsthand the difference we are making, but know that every one of these children will get something they needed or wanted,” said Melynda Jamison, Executive Director of Woodford’s CASA program. "You have the opportunity to brighten their holidays by shopping for something from their wish list."
The CASA Joy Tree has been providing gifts to children in the local family court system for the past six years, helping brighten the holidays for 164 Woodford County children so far.
Each participant receives the wish list of a child in the system who may not otherwise receive gifts this year. The participant shops for the child’s wishes, then brings the gifts back to Lakeshore Learning or a CASA office. Then, CASA volunteers bring the gifts to the families and caretakers of the children in time for their holiday celebrations.
Anyone wishing to participate in the program and help one of the remaining 16 Woodford County children can email jbahr@casaoflexington.org to request the wish list of a child.
Jamison said one year, a teenage boy put a blanket on his wish list. He later told his CASA volunteer that getting the blanket made him so happy because he was so much warmer when he slept at night.
“That’s huge,” Jamison said. “These gifts can represent lives changed in many of these cases.”
CASA volunteers are matched with abused and neglected children in the family court system. They visit the children monthly and advocate for what they need, especially if a need is being overlooked or forgotten.
Woodford County Family Court Judge Joe Fooks attended the kickoff and said he is grateful to have CASA volunteers available for kids involved in his cases.
"I really appreciate all the support Woodford County gives to CASA,” he said. “CASA is a huge asset to our court system. I rely on their reports on every case they're appointed on."
Woodford County Judge-Executive James Kay said the work of CASA volunteers is preventing children from slipping through the cracks in Woodford.
“CASA is helping kids in the legal system so they have someone standing up for them. What’s more important than that? Not many things,” Kay said. “As we enter this time of Thanksgiving and holidays and Christmas, we need to make sure that our most previous assets, our children, are taken care of.”
Jamison said there are likely more than 100 Woodford County children with open family court cases right now. Last year, CASA volunteers served 37 of those children. More are being served this year, but many more still could benefit from having someone looking out for their best interests.
“You don’t need any special degree or background to be a volunteer. If you are willing to show up, we are willing to give you the training,” Jamison said. “If you’re thinking, ‘In 2026, I’d like to make a difference,’ advocating for a child is one way to make a real change in the new year.”
Anyone who would like to purchase supplemental gifts for the children on the CASA Joy Tree can purchase from a wish list of popular items available at www.casaoflexington.org/joytree. Supplemental gifts will be used to ensure no child receives too few gifts and that siblings receive comparable amounts of gifts.
SO YOU KNOW
42 of the 58 children on this year’s Woodford County CASA Joy Tree were selected at the kickoff event Monday. If you would like to purchase gifts for one of the remaining 16 children, you can email jbahr@casaoflexington.org or call (859) 484-6548. You can also purchase supplemental gifts for children on the CASA Joy Tree through the wish list at www.casaoflexington.org/joytree.
