Advocates for Children Welcomes New CASA Volunteers

Urges more heroes to come forward

Columbus – This Monday evening, the staff of Advocates for Children joined Bartholomew County Juvenile Court Magistrate Heather Mollo in the court room of Bartholomew County Superior Court II to celebrate the swearing in of a new cadre of Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteers.

Mollo took a moment to thank the families of the new volunteers before administering the oath.

“Thank you for lending us your families,” she said.  “There will doubtlessly be distracted moments and the occasional sleepless night.  But they will be making an incredible difference in the lives of the children whose cases they serve.”

As these volunteers were taking their oaths and preparing to take their first cases, Advocates for Children was already looking ahead to the next recruits.

“We can’t afford to slow down,” said Rick Scalf, the agency’s Community Outreach Coordinator.  “As we speak, there are over 200 local children who have been the victims of abuse or neglect and are now in the system without an Advocate to fight for their rights.  That’s an ongoing human rights crisis in the midst of a community that isn’t supposed to have that kind of concern anymore.”

“The only way to end this crisis is for local people to stand up and say ‘We are for those children,’” Scalf continued.  “I know that this community is full of heroes who can make a difference in these children’s lives.  Now is the time for them to step forward.  Our next class starts in just a few weeks.”

Advocates for Children is a not-for-profit agency which recruits, trains and supports CASA volunteers who fight for the rights of children who have been the victims of abuse and neglect in Bartholomew, Decatur and Jennings counties.

The attached picture shows the August 2012 class of CASA volunteers. From left to right: Oris Reece, Brandi Downing, Jennifer Corsi, Nancy Porter, Wendy Flach, Laural French, Suzanne Reed, Diana White