Thanks to 11 new community volunteers, many more abused and neglected children will receive the gift of advocacy this holiday season. Volunteers will be sworn in on Thursday Dec. 15 as Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) by Judge Arthur Garcia at the Santa Maria Juvenile Court.
The volunteers are Santa Barbara residents, who have agreed to be matched with an abused and neglected child anywhere in the county. Currently, close to 100 children in foster care throughout Santa Barbara County are in need of a CASA volunteer.
The swearing-in ceremony begins at 4 p.m. Guests are required to arrive 15-20 minutes early to go through security screening. The Juvenile Court is at 4263 California Blvd., Santa Maria.
Judge Garica will speak to the new volunteers about the importance of their new role as a CASA and the value it has to the court. After CASA volunteers take an oath of office, they are declared officers of the court for the purpose of advocating for an abused or neglected child.
Newly appointed volunteers will be given an opportunity to share their volunteer experience and motivation for getting involved.
CASA is the only nonprofit program working within the court system and utilizing court-appointed volunteers to help abused and neglected children find safe, permanent, nurturing homes as quickly as possible. Today, there are nearly 1,000 CASA programs operating in the United States.
For more information, contact Marissa Acker, 739-9102 ext. 2595 or email marissa@sbcasa.org.
— Marissa Acker for CASA.