COURT HOUSE — Ocean City resident Lorey Bird and Stanley Doniger, of Rio Grande were recently sworn in as Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteers at a ceremony in Somers Point, N.J. The swearing in capped 30 hours of classroom instruction in child advocacy. As CASA volunteers, they will advocate on behalf of abused and neglected children and ensure these children receive the resources and services while living in foster care. The ultimate goal is to ensure that the children have a safe, permanent home as quickly as possible.
“I hope to give a voice to children who nobody speaks for, or whose parents are incapable of speaking up for them,” said Doniger, who has a background in child advocacy and who wants to give back to the community.
“I personally can’t think of a better contribution to society than to make a positive difference in a young life,” said Bird, who is eager to start advocating for a child who has been neglected or abused.
“At the heart of CASA, there is a simple phrase, ‘I am for the child,’ and with more than 1,000 children living in foster care in Atlantic and Cape May Counties, this phrase is more than a mantra: It’s a way of living – especially for our volunteers,” said Executive Director, Angie Waters. “With over 200 volunteers in the CASA family, we are thrilled to have these new advocates who have a desire to help children in need.”
Individuals interested in becoming a CASA volunteer should attend the next Information Session on Dec. 17 at 6 p.m. at the Atlantic County Library in Mays Landing, N.J. A new training class will begin in February. For more information call (609) 601-7800 or visit www.AtlanticCapeCASA.org.
About CASA of Atlantic and Cape May Counties:
Trained CASA Volunteers speak in family court on behalf of abused and neglected children in the foster care system and are dedicated to ensuring these children are placed in safe permanent homes as quickly as possible. In Atlantic and Cape May Counties, over 1,000 children are placed in foster care annually. Last fiscal year, CASA served 350 abused and neglected children with over 200 CASA Volunteers and helped place 106 children in permanent homes. For more information about CASA visit www.AtlanticCapeCASA.org. CASA is a United Way Partner Agency.
About National CASA:
Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) for Children is a network of 946 community-based programs that recruit, train and support citizen volunteers to advocate for the best interests of abused and neglected children in courtrooms and communities. The only program of its kind, 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 impact 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. (www.casaforchildren.org
Wildwood – So Liberals here on spout off, here's a REAL question for you.
Do you think it's appropriate for BLM to call for "Burning down the city" and "Black Vigilantes" because…
