Summer time is here, but many kids are not going home to a comfortable living situation.
“The summer comes but child abuse doesn’t take a summer break. This is a time when we still need the community to come and be active,” said Kristen Mata, the recruitment director of Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of the South Plains.
CASA is looking for summer volunteers to spend time with and advocate for children in the foster care system.
“We forget that their are still kids that are still in care that are needing an advocate,” said Mata.
The organization needs more than 80 volunteers, because there aren’t enough advocates for the amount of foster kids in the system, said Mata. Tommy White an advocate for the organization, and a Vietnam veteran, said the experience has been extremely rewarding.
Summer time is here, but many kids are not going home to a comfortable living situation.
“The summer comes, but child abuse doesn’t take a summer break. This is a time when we still need the community to come and be active,” said Kristen Mata, recruitment director of Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of the South Plains.
CASA is looking for summer volunteers to spend time with and advocate for children in the foster care system.
“We forget that there are still kids that are still in care that are needing an advocate,” said Mata.
The organization needs more than 80 volunteers because there aren’t enough advocates for the amount of foster kids in the system, said Mata.
Tommy White, an advocate for the organization and a Vietnam veteran, said the experience has been extremely rewarding.
“It’s been tough for them, but I try to be the one consistent thing in their life and try to talk to them, lead them and mentor them,” he said.
White advocated for the same two children during the two years he has been an advocate.
Becoming a CASA volunteer involves 18 hours of training. CASA will host courses both in June and July.
If individuals do not have much time in their schedule, they have the option to co-CASA, or share the responsibility of being an advocate for a child.
For more information on the process of becoming an advocate, they are hosting information sessions Wednesday, May 23, and Thursday, May 31. Visit their website for more details.
They also encouraged donations to the organization.
