CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates), a non-profit dedicated to advocating for the best interests of children in foster care, is coming to Henry County. The program will use trained community volunteers working to help ensure children who experience abuse or neglect can thrive and reach their full potential with the support of permanent connections to family. The volunteers will provide in-depth information to the judge and make recommendations to best meet the needs of each child.
In Henry County, 131 children were in foster care last year alone. There are over 500,000 children in foster care in the United States today – nearly 11,000 from the state of Georgia – and all these children become part of the juvenile court system, with a judge deciding their best interests.
That is where the CASA program comes in. Concerned citizens of Henry County are joining this state and national movement with the establishment of CASA of Henry County to serve the children of McDonough, Stockbridge, Locust Grove, Hampton, Flippen, Kelleytown, and Ola. Over 900 CASA programs are located across the nation, and CASA of Henry County will become the 46th affiliate program of Georgia CASA. Last year, 2,600 CASA volunteers served 9,000 children across the state.
In collaboration with Georgia CASA, a steering committee comprised of local leaders is working to bring CASA of Henry County to fruition. Members range from government to non-profit professionals that deal with child welfare, including local Juvenile Court Judge, Hon. William Bartles.
“We appreciate the guidance and assistance afforded our local organizers by the Georgia CASA staff,” said Judge Bartles. “We look forward to incorporating the CASA program and its volunteers into our already established procedures in Henry Juvenile Court for handling dependency cases that unfortunately sometimes necessitate children being placed in state foster care.”
Steering committee chair Lisa Dawodu is an avid proponent of CASA and states, “It is a great strategy to reach out to distressed children and youth in our community as an ally – giving them a chance to overcome their circumstances. I do not know what it is like to be in foster care, but I am aware that it can be difficult. CASA of Henry County will give its citizenry the opportunity to make a positive impact on the lives of children in foster care and our community at large.”
CASA of Henry County needs you; board member recruitment is currently underway. To find out more about serving on the board of CASA of Henry County or getting involved in other ways, contact Lisa Dawodu at casaofhenrycounty@gmail.com.
