We apologize for the repost Jeep Nation, we had to make an edit on our end.
Volunteers Needed
Recently a couple of our local residents were certified in the CASA/GLA Program. This program is close to the heart of many folks in our district. We will be holding the CASAtraining at BVES starting on January 25th with a meet and greet on January 18th at 5:30.
The CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate)/ GAL (Guardian ad Litem) Program is a national program that has been in existence since 1977. The CASA/GAL Program is a court-based, non-profit organization that recruits and trains community volunteers to become Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASAs) for children who are involved in the court system.
Once trained, the CASA/GAL volunteer will be appointed by Judge Alan Lemons to advocate for the best interests of children. A CASA/GAL volunteer is assigned to cases where children are alleged to be abused, neglected, or dependent. A CASA/GALvolunteer is an official part of the judicial proceedings, working alongside attorneys and social workers. A CASA/GAL volunteer will work to gather information and make recommendations regarding the child(ren)’s best interest to the judge presiding over the case. A CASA/GAL will also be responsible for monitoring case progress and reporting back to the court regularly. While handling only one or two cases at the same time, a CASA/GAL volunteer has time to thoroughly explore the history and circumstances of each assigned case.
Qualifications to volunteer for CASA/GAL are: you must be 21 years of age; submit an application; participate in a personal interview with CASA staff; provide 3 references; complete a national/state and local criminal records check; complete 30 hours of pre-service training; etc. Once these requirements have been met, a volunteer will be sworn in to advocate for a child in court which could continue up to two years.
This is a link to a short video that helps understand what CASA/GAL is about:
https://www.youtube.com/channe...
If you are interested in volunteering, please contact:
Kenya Johnson @ 740-355-8275