In recognition of National Child Abuse Prevention Month, CASA Clark County is hosting an Open House from 4:00pm to 6:00pm on April 11th at YWCA Clark County. Legislators, community partners, and potential volunteers are invited to learn about our program and to meet staff and other members of the community who serve children in dependency. We’ll share program’s goals for 2018, discuss collaboration with community partners, and review the volunteer positions we have available.
At any given time, there are over 800 children in foster care in Clark County. These children come into the child welfare system through no fault of their own. Most recently, the opioid crisis has severely impacted the foster care system, fueling an 8 percent growth since 2012, and reversing earlier progress.
“The needs of Clark County’s children coming into care are more complicated than ever before, and life in foster care can be chaotic,” said Sheryl Thierry, Director of Clark County CASA. “Every child deserves the support of a caring, consistent adult with the training to advocate for them and be their voice in the over-burdened child welfare system.”
Throughout the month of April, Clark County CASA is calling on members of the community to help our program serve more of Clark County’s most vulnerable children. In addition to the Open House on April 11th, sign up to become a volunteer, or make a donation on our website at casaclarkcounty.org.
Without intervention, the odds are stacked against children in foster care. A child with a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteer, however, will leave the foster care system two-and-a-half months earlier, on average, compared to a child without a CASA volunteer. Studies show children with a CASA volunteer receive more services that are critical to their well-being than children without an advocate, and those children are more likely to achieve educational success.
“CASA volunteers are a constant for the child in a time of chaos,” said Sheryl Thierry, Director of CASA. “A child may have multiple social workers, attorneys, therapists and foster placements throughout the life of the case but only one CASA volunteer, which can make all the difference for the child’s future.”
Clark County CASA is a Program of YWCA Clark County and is a member of the National Court Appointed Special Advocate Association (National CASA).
For more information about Clark County CASA, to become a supporter or to volunteer, visit casaclarkcounty.org or call 360-906-9142.
Contact Info:YWCA Clark County is on a mission to eliminate racism, empower women and promote peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all. In Clark County, YWCA began as a lunch counter for working women in 1916. Today, we serve more than 12,000 people each year who are escaping domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse and neglect, and youth in foster care. For more information about YWCA Clark County, please visit www.ywcaclarkcounty.org.
Sharon Svec
618-559-9153
[email protected]
