CASA
Click here to apply to become a volunteer today!
We all have a role to play in ending child abuse!
By the time you finish reading this article, more than 30 cases of child abuse will have been reported to authorities nationwide. By the end of today, that number will swell past 9,000. And four of those children will die at the hands of their abuser.
It’s easy to be overwhelmed and to ask yourself, “What can I possibly do to make a difference?”
The answer is you can do a lot. Everybody can play a role in preventing child abuse and neglect by becoming advocates for children.
For some of us, that advocacy comes in a formal role. Teachers, child care workers, health care providers and others who come into daily contact with children can be vigilant for signs of abuse and neglect. Their actions to report suspected abuse or to offer extra time and attention to fragile children can do more than make a difference. It can save lives.
CASA (court-appointed special advocate) volunteers stand up for abused and neglected children, giving them a voice in an overburdened child welfare system that is hard-pressed to meet their individual needs. A CASA volunteer’s intense advocacy can help break the cycle of abuse and neglect.
Children with CASA volunteers find safe, permanent homes more quickly, are half as likely to re-enter the foster care system, and do better in school. That’s making a profound difference in the lives of hundreds of thousands of abused and neglected children across the country. We have wonderful CASA volunteer advocates currently serving many children right here in Owen County, but there are far too many children in our county who are still on a waiting list in need of a CASA volunteer.
Owen County CASA is one of more than 900 CASA programs across the country committed to more than doubling our corps of volunteers by 2020 so that every child who needs a CASA volunteer has one.
CASA volunteers are people just like you – teachers, businesspeople, retirees, grandparents who are:
Willing to participate in an in-depth training program
Strong communicators
Willing to commit to at least one case for the entire length of time the case is open.
Able to pass a criminal and Child Protective Services background check
Over age 21
Not everyone can be a CASA volunteer, but everyone can be an advocate. Here are some steps you can take to make our community safer for our children.
Keep our state’s toll-free child abuse hotline number close at hand, 800-800-5556. If you suspect a child is being abused or neglected, you can report your suspicions confidentially.
Donate or volunteer for a social service agency that helps children who have been abused or neglected.
Educate yourself – and others – about the devastating toll that abuse and neglect take on children and our society as a whole.
Your advocacy for children will not only help end child abuse, it will improve our community for everyone who lives here. Children who are abused and do not get the support they need to heal are more likely than other kids to drop out of school, end up homeless, turn to crime, and rely as adults on social welfare programs. When we work together to protect vulnerable children, it saves lives while also saving tax dollars.
We all have a role to play. What will yours be?
If you
CASA Mission Statement:
The mission of the Owen County Court Appointed Special Advocate Program is to provide trained community volunteers to advocate for abused and neglected children in the pursuit of safe and permanent homes.
CASA Board of Directors:
Nan Johnson, Jack Woodruff, Judy Heinmiller, Jacci Wood, Donna McElroy and Donnie Carver
By the time you finish reading this article, more than 30 cases of child abuse will have been reported to authorities nationwide. By the end of today, that number will swell past 9,000. And four of those children will die at the hands of their abuser.
It’s easy to be overwhelmed and to ask yourself, “What can I possibly do to make a difference?”
The answer is you can do a lot. Everybody can play a role in preventing child abuse and neglect by becoming advocates for children.
For some of us, that advocacy comes in a formal role. Teachers, child care workers, health care providers and others who come into daily contact with children can be vigilant for signs of abuse and neglect. Their actions to report suspected abuse or to offer extra time and attention to fragile children can do more than make a difference. It can save lives.
CASA (court-appointed special advocate) volunteers stand up for abused and neglected children, giving them a voice in an overburdened child welfare system that is hard-pressed to meet their individual needs. A CASA volunteer’s intense advocacy can help break the cycle of abuse and neglect.
Children with CASA volunteers find safe, permanent homes more quickly, are half as likely to re-enter the foster care system, and do better in school. That’s making a profound difference in the lives of hundreds of thousands of abused and neglected children across the country. We have wonderful CASA volunteer advocates currently serving many children right here in Owen County, but there are far too many children in our county who are still on a waiting list in need of a CASA volunteer.
Owen County CASA is one of more than 900 CASA programs across the country committed to more than doubling our corps of volunteers by 2020 so that every child who needs a CASA volunteer has one.
CASA volunteers are people just like you – teachers, businesspeople, retirees, grandparents who are:
Willing to participate in an in-depth training program
Strong communicators
Willing to commit to at least one case for the entire length of time the case is open.
Able to pass a criminal and Child Protective Services background check
Over age 21
Not everyone can be a CASA volunteer, but everyone can be an advocate. Here are some steps you can take to make our community safer for our children.
Keep our state’s toll-free child abuse hotline number close at hand, 800-800-5556. If you suspect a child is being abused or neglected, you can report your suspicions confidentially.
Donate or volunteer for a social service agency that helps children who have been abused or neglected.
Educate yourself – and others – about the devastating toll that abuse and neglect take on children and our society as a whole.
Your advocacy for children will not only help end child abuse, it will improve our community for everyone who lives here. Children who are abused and do not get the support they need to heal are more likely than other kids to drop out of school, end up homeless, turn to crime, and rely as adults on social welfare programs. When we work together to protect vulnerable children, it saves lives while also saving tax dollars.
We all have a role to play. What will yours be?
If you
CASA Mission Statement:
The mission of the Owen County Court Appointed Special Advocate Program is to provide trained community volunteers to advocate for abused and neglected children in the pursuit of safe and permanent homes.
CASA Board of Directors:
Nan Johnson, Jack Woodruff, Judy Heinmiller, Jacci Wood, Donna McElroy and Donnie Carver
Click here to apply to become a volunteer today!