CASA of Lexington adds 10 new CASA volunteers
CASA of Lexington is added 10 new volunteers who will advocate for abused and neglected children in central Kentucky.
The new volunteers recently completed their training class. Now, CASA will match them with children in the family court system who need someone looking out for them.
Fayette County Family Court Judge Ross Ewing swore in the new volunteers May 27, in a special ceremony at the CASA of Lexington office.
Ewing is one of four family court judges in Fayette County and nine family court judges in CASA of Lexington's service region. All nine judges regularly use CASA volunteers to help improve outcomes for children.
"The kids you are going to represent are great kids," Ewing told the new volunteers. "They've usually been through something that's hard for us to even put into words. But they're terrific, amazing kids. And most of the time, the only way I'm going to hear about that is from you."
Each CASA volunteer visits their assigned child monthly and gathers information from people and records about what is happening in the child's life. They share what they learn with the judge and recommend actions that could help the child do better. CASA volunteers regularly help get children additional therapies and other services. They can also help speed up cases so children spend less time in the system and more time in safe, permanent homes. And they can ensure supports are in place for families so that children do not re-enter the system later on.
"The child welfare system is so overloaded that no one really has much time to give each of these children," said Melynda Jamison, Executive Director of CASA of Lexington. "Because of that, just a few hours a month from a CASA volunteer is often enough to completely transform a child's future."
The new volunteers will likely help as many as 27 children during their first year of service. CASA volunteers commit to giving an average of 5-10 hours a month for at least two years after completing their training class.
"There are still hundreds more children in the system who do not have CASA volunteers right now," Jamison said. "We definitely need more people like these 11 new volunteers who are stepping up to make their world a better place for kids and families."
A summer training for the next class of new volunteers runs June 23-27, with classes during the day and lunches provided. A fall training with classes on evenings and weekends begins Sept. 4. To learn more about becoming a CASA volunteer, visit www.casaoflexington.org.
