52 Scott County Children Receiving Gifts Through CASA Joy Tree Program This December
Scott County community members and staff at Dan Cummins of Georgetown will be providing 52 abused and neglected children with gifts this holiday season, following the CASA Joy Tree kickoff event in Georgetown Tuesday.
Another 18 Scott County children still need generous people to step up and buy them gifts so they do not go without this Christmas.
“Buy kids a gift like this — you’d be surprised what it can do,” Georgetown Mayor Bernie Jenkins said at the kickoff, held at the Dan Cummins dealership. “Sometimes, you don’t have to do a lot. Sometimes you can do a little thing. And the little things will brighten these kids’ hearts.”
The CASA Joy Tree has been providing gifts to children in the local family court system for the past five years, helping brighten the holidays for 219 Scott 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 Dan Cummins. 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 18 Scott County children can email jbahr@casaoflexington.org to request the wish list of a child.
Melynda Jamison, Executive Director of the Scott County CASA program, 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.
Scott 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 appreciate their efforts and it does make a difference in terms of lives and outcomes,” Fooks said.
Jamison said there are likely more than 600 Scott County children with open family court cases right now. Last year, CASA volunteers served 71 of those children. Many more 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.
If you would like to purchase gifts for one of the remaining 18 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.
