Maggie deBlock
On October 12, 2017, members of SaddleBrooke Sunrise Rotary Club heard guest speaker Ms. Jill LaBrie, Membership Chair for the Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) program of Pima County. Ms. LaBrie described the immense help volunteers provide to the judges who review juvenile dependency cases in the juvenile court system.
She stated that every year thousands of Arizona children are removed from their homes because their families are in crisis for various reasons such as violence, substance abuse, mental illness and neglect.
CASA advocates are volunteers appointed by a judge to speak up for abused and neglected children in court. Advocates become the voice for the children. Each volunteer/advocate looks out for a child’s best interests by monitoring their progress and addressing their multiple needs. Advocates then present their recommendations to the court thereby ensuring that each and every child can live in a safe, permanent home.
The need for CASA volunteers is great. There are many children who are currently in foster care and who are still waiting to be represented by the CASA program.
If you want to volunteer for this important and often lifesaving duty, you may represent either Pima or Pinal county CASA program. Contact https://pimacountycasa.org for more information.
SaddleBrooke Sunrise Rotary Club is proud of all our members who make contributions of time and money to assist those within our community and over the world. Won’t you join us in making a difference? We meet every Thursday at 8:00 a.m. at the MountainView Country Club. Please contact Ron Lenz, membership chair, at 262-358-0130.