(Photo courtesy of CASA)
Nineteen new Court Appointed Special Advocate volunteers were sworn in by Judge Bethany Flint in March and will now become the voice in the courtroom for local children in foster care.
CASA of Central Oregon recently launched an outreach and engagement campaign in the tri-county area to address the great and growing need for new CASA advocates.
At this time, 284 children are in foster care in Central Oregon. CASA aims to provide an advocate for every child in foster care throughout the region, but about 40 children have been on a waiting list and attempting to navigate the foster care system without an advocate.
The newly sworn in CASAs will help to ensure that every child will have a trusted adult on their side to listen to the child, get to know everyone in the child’s life and then advocate for the best interest of that child in court. For many abused children, their CASA volunteer will be the one constant adult presence in their lives.
“The eight-week training course was robust and thorough and opened by eyes to an urgent area of need in our community,” said CASA volunteer Virginia Bethe. “To those who are considering volunteering, I give the advice, ‘Do it!’ Come join us in doing what no one else does for children in foster care.”
Each newly sworn in volunteer participated in a 40-hour training to prepare for the role. Volunteers will now spend about 10 to 15 hours a month advocating for children until their case closes, with constant support from the team at CASA of Central Oregon.
Research shows that children with a CASA fare better during their time in foster care. Youth are also more likely to succeed in school, and have access to mental and physical health services when they have a CASA volunteer.
“We are so grateful for our volunteers’ commitment to this important work for children,” said Heather Dion, executive director for CASA. “Being a voice for Central Oregon’s most vulnerable children is a selfless act, but one that ordinary people undertake every day to support our youth.”
Additional volunteers are still needed to support youth within the overburdened foster care system. The next training for CASA volunteers begins May 1 in Redmond. Those interested in becoming a CASA are encouraged to fill out a volunteer application and register for the upcoming training by Monday, April 24.
Visit casaofcentraloregon.org/volunteer or email training@casaofcentraloregon.org to learn more.
About CASA of Central Oregon:
CASA of Central Oregon is an Oregon 501(c)(3) governed by a local board of directors. The organization is a regional branch of the national CASA nonprofit created to promote the needs of children who have been removed from their parents’ care due to neglect or abuse. CASA serves children from birth to twenty-one in the foster care system. In 2022, about 430 children in Central Oregon spent at least one day last year in foster care. May has been proclaimed National Foster Care month and is an important time to remember the great and growing need of youth in foster care in our region.
