Special to the Beacon Southeast Georgia Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) program is seeking individuals to participate in its next volunteer training program beginning next month.
The training will equip eeveryday citizens to become powerful voices for children in foster care who’ve experienced abuse or neglect. CASA is administered through Action Pact, a local commuity service agency.
The instruction program begins Saturday, October 5 and spans six weeks. It includes 30 hours of training and 1- hours of court observation. Typically, CASA volunteers serve five to eight hours each month.
Jessica Blackrick, Program Director for Action Pact CASA said the program hopes to have 20 new volunteers involved in the training. For more information, email Blackrick at jblackrick@myactionpact. org.
Every year, nearly 11,000 children across Georgia enter the foster care system, their futures uncertain, with a judge making life-altering decisions about their wellbeing. In the Waycross area alone, 542 children need the stability and support a dedicated advocate can provide.
Last year, Southeast Georgia CASA volunteers made a difference for 149 children. But with only 27 percent of the local foster care population receiving this support, the need is urgent for more CASA volunteers.
Southeast Georgia CASA serves Bacon, Brantley, Charlton, Coffee, Pierce, and Ware counties.
“We believe every child deserves the chance to thrive,” Blackrick said. “You don’t need a special degree to be a CASA volunteer, just a passion for making a difference in the life of a child. Our current volunteers are incredible, but we need more hands and hearts to ensure every child in foster care has a voice in court.”
CASA volunteers enter the lives of children at critical moments, offering guidance, support, and a sense of stability that can often result in transforming a life, she said.
Southeast Georgia CASA is one of the 46 affiliate CASA programs established throughout the state since Georgia CASA was founded 35 years ago. The local program was established in 2018.
Volunteers are everyday citizens who offer individualized attention and bestinterest advocacy for children in foster care. The CASA organization is the only model of this kind, built around one child and one compassionate, highly trained adult advocate.
