Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Santa Barbara County has debuted a new Leadership Council, a group of community members who believe in CASA’s mission and wish to help spread the word about the organization’s good work.
CASA welcomed the Leadership Council at a reception on Feb. 23, which also celebrated the swearing-in of 14 newly trained volunteer advocates who will serve vulnerable children in the southern Santa Barbara County area.
At the swearing-in ceremony, held in the Mural Room at the Santa Barbara County Courthouse and presided over by Judge Thomas Adams, CASA Executive Director Kim Davis and board president Michele Neely Saltoun congratulated the new volunteers and council members for their dedication to helping the community’s most vulnerable children.
The Leadership Council is chaired by Ernesto Paredes, a former CASA executive director and now head of Easy Lift Transportation. Paredes will be joined on the council by one of CASA of Santa Barbara County’s founders, Barbara Margerum, and two past presidents of the CASA Board of Directors, Shirley Hobson and Realtor Randy Glick.
Also lending their efforts and expertise to the Leadership Council will be Women’s Fund of Santa Barbara founders Carol Palladini and Meredith Scott, Betty Noling of the Unitarian Society of Santa Barbara, Janet Garufis of Montecito Bank & Trust, Rosalind Gies of the Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation, attorneys Chrisanna Waldrop and Drew Simons, Lin Aubuchon and Bill Pesso of Rincon Broadcasting, Kay Bruce of CASA Pacifica, Barbara Toumayan of the Artisan Project and David Edelman of Fielding Graduate University.
Davis believes the Leadership Council will make a marked difference to the organization, and will help raise awareness of CASA’s work throughout the community.
“It’s so wonderful to have people from the community step forward to act as ambassadors for CASA,” she said. “We know the Leadership Council members will raise awareness of our mission, and help us reach our goal of serving every child in our county who has been abused or neglected.”
Founded in 1995, CASA of Santa Barbara County has grown steadily throughout its history, and is now serving more local abused and neglected children than ever before. So far this fiscal year, 217 children have been served, and the organization manages more than 150 trained volunteers. With the help of new volunteers and Leadership Council members, CASA hopes to continue growing until an advocate can be assigned to every child who needs one.
CASA’s mission is to ensure a safe, permanent, nurturing home for every abused and/or neglected child by providing a highly trained advocate for them in the court system. For more information, contact Summers Case, CASA’s development coordinator, at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or 805.456.5984.
— Summers Case is the development coordinator for Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Santa Barbara County.
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