SUNBURY – Children going through the family court system can really use the help of some adult volunteers who have their best interest at heart. That’s the idea behind CASA, which stands for Court Appointed Special Advocates.
Judy Jones, executive director of Susquehanna Valley CASA, says they are in need of more volunteers so they have launched a volunteer drive, “We have just about 30 children in Northumberland County waiting for a CASA volunteer and we also have Union and Snyder court systems that definitely have growing numbers of children waiting for CASA volunteers. We are really hoping that we get a bump in telephone calls.”
She says the volunteers are trained by their staff and then paired with the children who need them. The training will take place on May 4. Jones said, “The CASA volunteers are out in the community. They are getting to know the children that they are working with. We have a court order from the judge that allows them to go into every aspect of the child’s life, so there is a lot of work to be done out there. We are doing our own investigation.”
To find out more about volunteering as a CASA volunteer, you can go to www.susquehannavalleycasa.com. There will also be a candlelight vigil this weekend to recognize national Child Abuse and Prevent Month during April. The vigil will start at 8 p.m. on Saturday at Hufnagle Park. (Ali Stevens)