CASA needs volunteers to serve Donley County kids

Volunteers are being sought to help Donley County children who find themselves caught up in the court system due to neglect or abuse.

CASA of the High Plains currently has about 51 cases involving 118 kids in its eight-county service area with five of those cases being in Donley County, according to Executive Director Alissha Jefferies.

“We have an urgent need for at least two volunteers to help serve Donley County,” Jefferies said.

CASA, which stands for Court Appointed Special Advocate, is a system by which a volunteer is appointed by a judge to provide factual information to the court on behalf of a child. CASA volunteers come from all walks of life and only handle one case at a time.

Jefferies said CASA is a state-funded non-profit, but it requires volunteers to be caseworkers in order for the advocate to develop the one-on-one relationship with the child necessary to effectively represent the kid’s interests.

“If we can’t recruit volunteers to help with our caseload, the state cuts our funding,” Jefferies said.

Kids referred to CASA have been removed from their homes for some reason, most often neglect or abuse resulting from one or both parents’ drug use.

“We are seeing a lot of severe neglect due to drugs right now,” said Lisa Blandford, CASA’s Program Director and supervisor for Donley County cases.

CASA volunteers meet with the child and other parties to prepare a report for the judge in each case. Often times these correspondences can be done through email.

“We don’t have a vested interest in the case other than what is best for the child,” Jefferies said. “That’s why its important for a volunteer to establish a relationship with the child.”

Time required by a volunteer can vary, but at least one hour of face to face time with the child is necessary per month. Volunteers can come from all walks of life from stay-at-home moms to retirees to parents working full time.

“When I started as a volunteer five years ago, I had a full time job and two kids,” Jefferies said.

Blandford also was working full time when she became a volunteer.

Currently, Donley County has four active volunteers – Medina Gribble, Debbie Hillis, Missy Kidd, and Irene Oatman.

CASA also offers other volunteer positions. Besides being an advocate, there are opportunities to accompany and support an advocate, and there is training and guidance available throughout the process.

For more information about becoming a CASA volunteer, call the Pampa office at 806-669-7638 or visit their website at www.casahp.org.