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Wednesday, November 8, 2017 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
CASA volunteers make a difference in children’s lives
By Sue Stafford
Correspondent
Court Appointed Special
Advocates (CASA) of Central
Oregon makes a big differ-
ence in the lives of young
people who have a tough
road. CASA volunteers are
appointed by judges to watch
over and advocate for abused
and neglected children, to
make sure they don’t get lost
in the overburdened legal and
social service system.
A gathering of crafters
known as Heartwarmers met
No-shave
November
for deputies
Sheriff L. Shane Nelson
announced last month that he
had authorized members of the
Deschutes County Sheriff’s
Office to forego shaving dur-
ing the month of November in
support of cancer awareness,
prevention and research.
Participation in this cause
is voluntary and to participate
they only needed to make a
minimum $30 donation to a
cancer-related organization
of their choice. Staff can also
show their support by wear-
ing a small purple ribbon on
their uniform. The Deschutes
County Sheriff’s Employees
Association, or DCSEA, has
also agreed to match the total
dollar amount donated by
Sheriff’s Office staff during
No Shave November to a can-
cer-related organization to be
determined later this month.
No Shave November is
about growing awareness to
cancer by embracing our hair,
which many cancer patients
lose. By donating the money
you would typically spend on
shaving and grooming, you
will be helping fund educa-
tion about cancer prevention,
saving lives, and to aid those
fighting their battle.
If you see our staff
unshaven during the month
of November, know it’s for
a good cause. Cancer affects
countless lives each year,
including members of the
Sheriff’s Office, and we’re
honored to participate by
bringing awareness to cancer
in this uniquely visible way.
Sheriff Nelson said in his
message to staff, “I am proud
to be your Sheriff and to have
your Sheriff’s Office partici-
pate in the great cause.”
For more information
about the web-based non-
profit organization No Shave
November, you can visit
https://no-shave.org.
last week to make blankets for
CASA (see related story, page
15).
Right now, there are 338
children in foster care and
CASA has 110 volunteer
advocates, with another group
of 20 being sworn in this
month. Currently, 245 chil-
dren have a CASA advocate
and 93 children are waiting
for an advocate. CASA staff
and interns monitor those
cases, but the goal is to pro-
vide actual advocates for
those children.
Daytime training sessions
are conducted two times a
year, and CASA is hopeful
they will be able to add a third
training during evening hours,
opening the program to more
possible volunteers. Potential
advocates complete a screen-
ing interview, background
and reference checks, and 40
hours of training and court-
room observation. Prospective
volunteers must be at least 21
years of age. Volunteers come
from all walks of life. They
all share a common desire to
improve the lives of vulner-
able children.
After being sworn in
by a judge, volunteers are
appointed to a child or family
of children and spend an aver-
age of 10 to 15 hours a month
advocating for their best inter-
ests. CASA advocates become
“the eyes and ears” for the
judge, and help ensure that
the child is getting all court-
ordered services. Because an
average child in foster care
will experience multiple foster
homes and several casework-
ers, the CASA volunteer may
be the only consistent adult in
a child’s life during the time
that child is in foster care.
It has been shown through
numerous quantitative and
qualitative measurements –
from school performance, to
behavior, to mental health,
to moving out of the foster
system more quickly – that a
child with a CASA advocate
has a better chance of success
and moving forward in their
life.
Anyone interested in learn-
ing more about becoming
a CASA volunteer can visit
www.casaofcentraloregon.org
or call 541-389-1618.
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