This year, National Volunteer Week is observed April 12-18, 2015 and to celebrate, the Boost! team will be sharing information about organizations we volunteer for.

Advocate for children in foster care – become a volunteer Court Appointed Special Advocate

In today’s Volunteer Spotlight, we are drawing attention to an organization that is very near and dear to my heart. I have been a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) for six years and believe passionately in the power of this program to change the lives of the most vulnerable children in our communities – those who are in foster care.

CASA volunteers are appointed by judges to watch over and advocate for abused and neglected children, to make sure they don’t get lost in the overburdened legal and social service system or languish in inappropriate group or foster homes. Volunteers stay with each case until it is closed and the child is placed in a safe, permanent home. For many abused children, their CASA volunteer will be the one constant adult presence in their lives. This was certainly the case with two siblings I advocated for over a period of four years. Every adult in their lives had changed – from the social worker to their therapists to foster parents. I was uniquely able to provide input during legal proceedings because I held their history and could tell their story.

Independent research has demonstrated that children with a CASA volunteer are substantially less likely to spend time in long-term foster care and less likely to reenter care.

If you are looking for an opportunity to make a difference in a child’s life, please consider becoming a CASA. Every CASA program across the country is in desperate need of volunteers.

If you live in Seattle, please contact the King County Dependency CASA Program.

If you would like to ask me a question about being a CASA, please leave a comment below and I will respond.