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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 2, 2017)
LIFESTYLES Q&A with Luke Skywalker/3C Fire destroys Round-Up grandstand/5C WEEKEND, SEPTEMBER 2-3, 2017 Exploring Tombstone Lake /6C Staff photo by E.J. Harris Alberta Akers of Boardman and her daughter, Sariena Garrett of Heppner, both decided to become Court Appointed Special Advocates, or CASA, volunteers. CASA volunteers advocate for children in-state foster care. Children’s Champions Morrow County mother and daughter step up as advocates By PHIL WRIGHT East Oregonian Alberta Akers cares for her disabled husband and son at their home in Boardman. The former school bus driver and potato plant shift coordinator decided at the age of 73 she still has the time and drive to do more. Alberta swore the pledge Wednesday to volunteer as a court appointed special advocate for children in state foster care. Her daughter, Sariena Garrett of Heppner, also jumped into the adventure and took the pledge. Both have raised families — Alberta has two boys and two girls, and Sariena has a son and two daughters — and said they want to help foster children in their communities. “The main thing is learning how to stand by the children and be there for them,” Alberta said. “We speak up for them,” Sariena said. “We’ll be the constant person in the child’s life. No matter how many times they get assigned families, we’ll be with that child.” Umatilla-Morrow County Head Start operates CASA, and Jesus Rome manages the program. He said CASAs are legal parties to the child’s case, so they attend court proceedings and can meet with the child’s lawyer and case workers. They are respon- sible for observing the child and making recommendations to judges, he said, and the judges take those reports seriously. The average assign- ment lasts about two to two-and-half Running for the CASAs Staff photo by E.J. Harris Alberta Akers of Boardman signs paperwork after a swearing-in ceremony to become a CASA volunteer as her daughter, Sariena Gar- rett of Heppner, looks on Tuesday at the Umatilla County Courthouse in Pendleton. years, but can be longer. As Sariena put it: “Once you get a kid, you need to stick with them until the end.” Just as the title indicates, they advocate for the needs of the chil- dren. Maybe they need new shoes, Sariena said, so the CASA relays that to the child’s case worker or attorney. Maybe they have concerns about their foster home. The volunteer relays that, too. But the advocates do not take on the onus of providing for the needs. Rome said the relationship also goes beyond the courtroom. The volunteers can visit children at their Staff photo by E.J. Harris Alberta Akers, seated second from right, and her daughter, Sariena Garrett, seat- ed at right, take the oath of office to be a CASA volunteer from Umatilla County District Court Judge Lynn Hampton with other volunteers Tuesday at the Umatilla County Courthouse in Pendleton. Jesus Rome manages the Umatilla-Morrow County Court Appointed Special Advocate Program. CASAs are volunteers who, like the title states, advocate for children in state foster care. Rome and a couple of fellow advocates are training up to run a marathon to raise money for the program. Rome, Kriss Dammeyer, and Don Rome head west for the Oct. 8 Portland Marathon and Portland Marathon Half. Jesus Rome said the team would love support for the event. You can donate two ways, either by check to the Umatilla-Morrow CASA program or online at https://give.everydayhero.com/us/umatilla-morrow- head-start-casa-program. Jesus Rome said the funding goes directly toward supporting and training “our amazing volunteers that advocate for children in foster care.” If you have any questions regarding the fundraiser, please contact Jesus Rome at 541-667- 6170 or email him at jrome@umchs.org. schools, watch them at after-school monthly meetings in Hermiston and events, visit their foster homes. The Pendleton so the volunteers can talk program recommends visits of at and brainstorm. And there are oppor- least once a month, but Alberta and tunities for more training, Rome said, Sariena said they figure to visit chil- which makes for better advocates. dren more often. After all, they said, Alberta said the program can use Boardman and Heppner are small more volunteers. towns. Rome said there 43 special The mother and daughter were advocates in the two counties, and among six who recently completed the new mother-daughter team are the program’s 40 hours among the five in of training to become Morrow County. The “You really CASAs, which number of children in want to help foster care in Umatilla included hearing from state social workers, and Morrow counties judges and attorneys. every child, but fluctuates each month, They said the program he said, but his last stresses learning to if I can make a count showed 170 accept cultural differ- difference in just children. The goal of ences and to set aside the CASA program is personal opinion and one child’s life it to have one advocate beliefs to make obser- per child. vations and recom- will be worth it.” “These are the mendations from an highest needs kids in — Sariena Garrett, our objective stance. communities,” of Heppner “It’s a huge respon- Rome said, and sibility,” Sariena said. some have endured “There’s a lot we need to know. There and suffered abuse and neglect. are so many laws we need to know.” For people with time to make the “We’re going to be learning as we commitment, Rome said it can be go,” Alberta said. fulfilling work. But they are not going it alone. Sariena, who operates a home- Rome said the program provides based online retail business, said new volunteers with a CASA mentor, her husband told her “no” because a veteran who can help navigate she would want to bring the children situations that might seem over- home. She explained that is not whelming. Some of the children have what CASAs do. Still, she said, her complicated cases, he said, so some husband warned she would end up guidance can help a new advocate with a broken heart. learn where to get started on a case He might be right, she said. Like and what to prioritize. her mother, she drove a school bus. Alberta, Sariena and the other They said they saw children in their advocates have to keep information communities who were in need. confidential. They cannot reveal “You really want to help every what is going on with a child, even child,” Sariena said, “but if I can to their spouse. Rome said to help make a difference in just one child’s with that isolation, the program holds life it will be worth it.”