Keizertimes., April 30, 2021, Page 4, Image 4

PAGE A4, KEIZERTIMES, APRIL 30, 2021
A voice in the dark
CASAs a source of resilience
for kids caught in legal limbo
By BROOKLYN FLINT
Of the Keizertimes
Even though National Child Abuse
Prevention Month is winding down, the
need for adults volunteers to advocate for
children in courtroom proceedings will
continue.
Court Appointed Special Advocates
(CASA) are advocates for abused and
neglected children who are in need of a
safe home. Shaney Starr, executive direc-
tor of CASA for fi ve years, helps run the
organization. Starr originally wanted to
be a volunteer at CASA, but the train-
ing schedule with her personal schedule
didn’t allow her to. However, it ended up
working out for her in the end.
“When the opportunity to lead the
organization came available, I didn’t hesi-
tate,” Starr said.
Since then, Starr has led CASA to get
more volunteers on board and help the
organization.
“CASA serves children who are in the
custody of the state and serves as their
voice throughout their case in the juvenile
dependency court process. Our CASA
volunteers advocate for the best interest
of the children,” Starr said.
Most of the assistance CASA provides
arrives through volunteers who spend
hours training to be advocates for the kids.
“We require volunteers to be at least
21 years old, go through a rigorous appli-
cation, interview and background check
process, complete 32 hours of training and
be able to dedicate 8-10 hours a month to
working on their case and be able to make
a two-year commitment to ensure consis-
tency and stability for our children in the
child welfare system,” Starr said.
Soraida Cross is one of the volunteers
at CASA and has been there for a year and
a half. One of the most challenging things
for her is how tough some of the cases are
and bearing witness to what some of the
kids have been through.
“This is their life, this is what they’re
living,” Cross said.
Cross also acknowledges the severity
of child abuse and how these kids are peo-
ple we might know.
“These kids aren’t in another country
or another state, they’re in our county,”
Cross said.
Another volunteer, Bob Russell, has
worked with the organization for almost
a year. He encourages potential volun-
teers to be aware of how tough some cases
may be and how it can be hard to handle
emotionally.
“It can be absolutely heartbreaking
at times and people should defi nitely be
aware of that,” Russell said.
Jim and JoAnn Griffi n are also volun-
teers who have been in the organization for
10 years. Both Jim and JoAnn explained
how important it is to understand the role
of the volunteer.
See CASA, page 5
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