The Honorable W. Todd Miller, J.S.C. swore in 26 Atlantic and Cape May County residents as Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteers on April 17, 2019 at Greate Bay Country Club in Somers Point, N.J. The graduation ceremony was the culmination of 35 hours of instruction in child advocacy, the family court system and cultural competency. As CASA volunteers, they will meet with and advocate on behalf of children and youth living in the foster care system and recommend resources and services regarding the youth’s education, medical and overall wellbeing. The ultimate goal is to ensure that the children attain safe, permanent homes as quickly as possible.
The new CASA volunteers are: Nena Wise of Belleplain; Valanda Weston of Rio Grande; William Yengo of Egg Harbor Township; Gezel Adeleke of Atlantic City; Timothy McKinley of Petersburg; Walleska Handal of Mays Landing; Brianna Dennison of Ocean View; Dawn Williams of Ocean City; Khanequa Tuitt of Egg Harbor Township; Gianna Enriquez of Egg Harbor Township; Valerie Lonkart of Margate; Elaine Polach of Wildwood; David Beaudry of Hammonton; Kristen Towbin of Longport; Wanda Young of Woodbine; Coleen Graves-Gouza of Ocean View; Frances Toal of Egg Harbor Township; Krista Guzman of Cape May; Patrick Towbin of Longport; Christine Schrum of Egg Harbor Township; Marie Schleinkofer of Ocean City; Kathleen Quinn of Ocean City; Joan Maddox of Corbin City; Angelina Staffieri Burlock of Somers Point; and, Steven Lesser of Ocean City.
“We are so thankful that these individuals stepped forward to take the role of advocate for children living in foster care,” said Director of Program Services Jennifer Valentine. “Their advocacy will have a profound effect of the lives of children and youth in our community. Unfortunately, we know that on average, 300 new children enter foster care every year. Therefore, our need to recruit and train new advocates also grows. Our goal is to have a CASA volunteer for every child and youth in Atlantic and Cape May Counties who needs one. Thankfully, we are very close to that goal. The new CASA volunteers are starting a journey that will help change the lives of the children they meet and in the process their lives will be changed as well.”
CASA volunteers meet with everyone on the child’s case, including teachers, caseworkers, counselors and health care providers and gather information into objective court reports. Each report, submitted to the family courts at every hearing, contains recommendations for services and resources regarding the child’s education, medical and overall wellbeing.
Individuals interested in becoming a CASA volunteer should attend one of our monthly Information Sessions held monthly at the CASA office at 321 Shore Road, Somers Point, N.J. and in the community. For more information call (609) 601-7800 or visit www.AtlanticCapeCASA.org.
About Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) for Children of Atlantic and Cape May Counties
Trained CASA volunteers speak on behalf of abused and neglected children living in the foster care system and are dedicated to ensuring these children are placed in safe permanent homes as quickly as possible. Last fiscal year, CASA provided 657 abused and neglected children with an advocate and helped place 223 children in permanent homes. For more information about CASA for Children, visit www.AtlanticCapeCASA.org or www.Facebook.com/CASA4Children.
About National CASA
The National Court Appointed Special Advocate Association is a network of almost 1,000 programs that recruit, train and support more than 76,000 citizen-volunteers who advocate for the best interests of abused and neglected children in the courtrooms of their communities. The only program of its kind, Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteers are empowered by the courts to provide children with one-on-one advocacy. CASA volunteers see their assigned children regularly and interview all the adults who influence their lives. Volunteer advocates offer judges the critical information they need to ensure each child’s rights and needs are being attended to while in foster care, staying with the child until she is placed in a loving permanent home. For many abused children, their CASA volunteer is the only constant adult presence in their lives. For more information about the National CASA Association, readers are encouraged to visit casaforchildren.org.
