4B
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2017
Volunteers
are needed as
child advocates
By SUSAN CODY
Special to
The Daily Astorian
Sue Cody
Kaden Gasser builds a tower out of hula hoops at the emergency preparedness event Sept. 16.
Event focuses on emergency preparedness
Against the national backdrop of fi res,
hurricanes and fl oods, NW Natural held
its annual event to highlight National Pre-
paredness Month, Sept. 16, at the Astoria
Armory. This year, it partnered with the
kickoff campaign of United Way of Clat-
sop County (UWCC) to focus on emer-
gency preparedness.
“Most people are not ready for an
emergency” says Teresa Brownlie, Com-
munity Affairs manager for NW Natural
in Clatsop County.
tle and emergency survival blanket, will
come in handy, along with information
on how to turn off gas and water.
“There are certain things to think
about, such as all the things in your base-
ment that might fl ood,” says Brownlie. “It
is a good idea to have some emergency
supplies on every fl oor, because you don’t
know where you might end up.”
Clatsop County Emergency Manage-
ment gives out earthquake and tsunami
material that includes a sign for people to
post in their window: red with “help” on
one side and green “OK” on the other, to
help out rescuers.
Activities at the Armory
Awareness and some history
By SUSAN CODY
Special to The Daily Astorian
As kids climb on big foam blocks,
slide on inclines, glide across a balance
beam and get faces painted, parents were
getting the low-down on how to keep
those kids safe in emergencies. About
250 people turned out for the activities.
Tables of social service agencies sup-
ported by United Way and emergency
service groups lined the gym, hand-
ing out the information families need to
know, along with some helpful swag.
NW Natural’s “Get Ready” refl ective
string backpacks with a light stick, whis-
this community is,” says Jennifer Holen,
executive director of UWCC. “Many of
us have become complacent, and put the
idea of preparedness on the back burner.
We don’t think about it.
“Then we see disaster in another part
of the country and we see this is a very
timely conversation,” Holen says. “We
have amazing resources and we want
people to have access to them.”
United Way raises funds for 14 agen-
cies, such as Clatsop Community Action,
Lunch Buddy Mentoring Program, Help-
ing Hands, Camp Kiwanilong, etc. The
United Way campaign goal this year is
$250,000. For information, see: http://
www.clatsopunitedway.org
The Way to Wellville and its spon-
sor, Columbia Pacifi c Coordinated Care
Organization support healthy activities
and emergency preparedness. “We are all
in this together,” Brownlie says.
Looking around the Astoria Armory,
Holen says, “I like seeing the community
come together — living united, bringing
everyone to the table. We want a safe,
healthy community for all.”
Susan Cody is the communications
lead for The Way to Wellville Clatsop
County.
Clatsop County has had its own
brushes with disaster. The Great Coastal
Gale of 2007 hit with hurricane-force
winds that knocked out power, phone ser-
vice and kept the area cutoff from the rest
of the state because of downed trees and
power lines. Many were without power
for a week and cellphones were useless
for a time. The Daily Astorian had to
be published in Longview, Washington,
because of the lack of power.
“Just seeing what the 2007 storm did
in Clatsop County, showed how resilient
Children need a safe, nur-
turing environment to achieve
well-being and self-confi -
dence, educators agree. When
families can’t provide that,
children rely on local volun-
teers to be their voice in the
process of fi nding a safe, per-
manent home.
Parents who struggle with
drug abuse, domestic vio-
lence or mental illness may
fi nd themselves in court,
where a judge decides if their
home environment is safe. If
not, some children are put in
foster care, while the parents
work on becoming healthy.
Children are then assigned
a volunteer advocate to look
out for them. Most of the chil-
dren served locally are 5 years
old or younger. About 90 chil-
dren need an advocate, but
there are only 40 volunteers.
Court Appointed Special
Advocates (CASAs) become
the voice of the child and
advocate for the child’s best
interest throughout a child
welfare court case.
“Our middle-class, white-
picket- fence instinct is, ‘Well,
let’s just take that child and put
her into a happy home, and
everyone feels good,’” says
Julia Mabry, executive direc-
tor of Clatsop CASA Program.
“But that’s not how it
works,” Mabry says. “That is
not in the child’s best interest.
The child’s best interest is to
help the parents be safe and
sober so they can continue
their attachment and continue
to be raised by their parent, if
that is at all possible.”
“This volunteer work is
really rewarding” Mabry
says. “It can really make a dif-
ference in the life of a child.
But it really does take a spe-
cial person, who is willing
to learn about what has hap-
pened to that child that led
them to being in foster care.”
Unsafe homes
Before CASAs are called
in, Child Protective Services,
through the Department of
Human Services, determines
if the child is safe at home.
“Parents have to get their
life together,” Mabry says.
“They have to not use drugs,
take care of their mental
health or whatever they need
to do. Some parents do really
well, and get their kids back,
and some don’t. It’s really
important for us to match the
children with volunteers who
have shared interests, so they
can bond easier.”
While the child is in fos-
ter care, the CASA visits the
child at least once a month
and learns what needs, hopes
and wishes he has. A CASA s
role is to make sure what-
ever happens is in the child’s
best interest, Mabry says. For
example, she might advocate
for more visits with an uncle
or someone close to them.
“They might want horse-
back riding lessons or a bike,”
Mabry says. “Sometimes it’s
just little things that make a
big difference. What CASAs
really advocate for and work
on is the child’s best perma-
nent plan.”
CASA training
Because childhood trauma
can affect health for life,
Columbia Pacifi c Coordinated
Care Organization (CCO)
awarded a grant of $15,000 per
year for two years for CASA
Volunteer Training and Super-
vision in Clatsop County.
People interested in becom-
ing a CASA volunteer can
attend a six-week training pro-
gram starting Oct. 18 at Clat-
sop Community College. See
http://www.clatsopcasa.org
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