Local CASA organization celebrates 25 years

For 25 years now, numerous Cherokee County children have had friendly faces to look for and depend upon during what can sometimes turn into the most difficult time they’ll face in their young lives.

Those faces belong to the volunteers and case workers of CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) of Trinity Valley, which serves Cherokee, Henderson and Anderson counties. CASA is a national association that supports and promotes volunteer court-appointed advocates for abused or neglected children in order to provide children with a safe and healthy environment in permanent homes.

“Our volunteers make sure the child or children get the help they need,” CASA caseworker Supervisor Donna E. Parks said. “And it helps tremendously to have that extra set of eyes in these types of situations. They meet with court representatives, they go see the kids as scheduled, they stay with their cases until it’s dismissed – a lot of the time the CASA rep is the only face a child will see on a regular basis.”

In 2018, CASA volunteers helped thousands of neglected or abused children in Texas get out of foster care and into happy homes:

• 20,685 children or 56 children a day were removed from their homes and entered the foster care system.

• 1,211 children transitioned out (aged out) of the system.

• 52,397 children were in legal care of the state.

• 10,856 CASA volunteers served 30,136 children.

“Almost every eight minutes, a child became a victim of abuse or neglect, and 56 children were entering the foster system each day,” the CASA’s website, casaoftexas.org states. “This is a sad reality, but one that is necessary to acknowledge as we continue the fight to end child abuse and neglect.”

There are about 23 CASA volunteers serving Cherokee County, out of the Jacksonville office,

Several of these volunteers made appearances during family court held Monday, April 26, in the county courtroom on the first floor of the Cherokee County Courthouse. Judge Lisa Andrews presiding. Monday’s docket included 18 cases concerning families in several different East Texas counties.

Several cases came to a close as court officials recognized the parents were making the effort to do what they needed to do to keep their families intact. Many recommendations came from the various CASA volunteers.

“It’s good to have that extra support,” one Smith County mom said, beaming a huge smile after getting her 12-year-old son back. “(The CASA rep) really did have my son’s best interests at heart. (The CASA volunteer) was there the whole time and helped us through the entire process.

“My heartfelt thanks to all who helped us. I’m so grateful the system worked this time – so much of the time all you hear about is how it fails. It’s been a really hard year but it helped to know someone was looking out for us.”

When asked if she would consider becoming a CASA volunteer herself, the mom said, “ Absolutely. It truly is a worthwhile cause and I’d love to be able to give back in that regard one day.”

Another case Judge Andrews heard Monday concerned the custody of two small children which was granted to their father.

“That happens more and more these days, but it’s still pretty rare,” local CASA volunteer Ricky Gott said. “My own experience during my divorce led me to become a CASA rep, which I’ve been since January.

“It’s nice to see dads getting more serious about their children and to see the courts giving them more of a real chance to be a parent, when the situation warrants.

“The quality of a parent shouldn’t be based solely on gender. Overall, though, I think most court decisions are fair.”

Gott, a retired teacher, said he’s honored to be able to serve as a CASA volunteer.

“Kids are my passion – always have been, always will be,” he said. “I’m serving God by serving here and CASA is a wonderful organization to give back to society in general.”

Visit www.becomeacasa.com to find out how to become a CASA volunteer.

Support CASA of Trinity Valley during the yearlong Power of 25 campaign. Send a donation of $25 (checks made payable to CASA of Trinity Valley) to CASA of Trinity Valley, P.O. Box 2259, Athens, TX 75751.