Garrard CASA Joy Tree program aims to provide gifts for 27 children in family court
Garrard County community members will be providing 22 abused and neglected children with gifts this holiday season, following the CASA Joy Tree kickoff event at First Southern National Bank on Monday.
Another five Garrard County children still need generous people to step up and buy them gifts so they do not go without this Christmas.
"We always think of Christmas as a fun time of year. It's a time of gifting and loving and family. But if you don't have those, it's not the same,” said Leonard Harrison, a board member for the Garrard County CASA program. “It can actually be a time of year when you're saddened instead of lifted up. A lot of these kids are reminded of the families they're not with. They're reminded of the gifts they're not getting. They're reminded that they are alone in this world. That's what we really strive to eliminate is that feeling of being alone."
The CASA Joy Tree has a new name this year, but it has been providing gifts to children in the local family court system for the past four years, helping brighten the holidays for 91 Garrard 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 First Southern 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 five Garrard County children can email jbahr@casaoflexington.org to request the wish list of a child.
Melynda Jamison, Executive Director of Garrard’s CASA program, said last 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.
"Sometimes we may not think we're making a huge sacrifice by going out and purchasing items on this list,” Jamison said. “But we could be changing that child's life and giving them confidence."
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.
Jamison said there are likely more than 250 Garrard County children with open family court cases right now. Last year, CASA volunteers served 25 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
22 of the 27 children on this year’s Garrard County CASA Joy Tree were selected at the kickoff event Thursday. If you would like to purchase gifts for one of the remaining five 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.
