CASA Plans To Expand In City
Posted: December 11, 2012
HARRISONBURG — A Staunton-based court-appointed children’s advocacy group plans to expand to Harrisonburg and Rockingham County in 2013 at the request of a juvenile court judge.
Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children is a national nonprofit organization that provides volunteers to advocate for abused and neglected children.
“We speak up for the child,” said Michael Nay, executive director of the Staunton office. “It’s another set of eyes and ears on the case.”
When a special advocate is needed, a judge will assign a volunteer to a specific case. The volunteers then work alongside a guardian ad litem and social worker and make recommendations to the judge on custody and other issues.
CASA serves the Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court in Augusta County, Staunton, Waynesboro, Lexington, Rockbridge County, Covington and Alleghany County. (CASA is not affiliated with The Collins Center of Harrisonburg, which used to be known as Citizens Against Sexual Assault and was often referred to by the same acronym.)
The request for CASA’s assistance in Harrisonburg and Rockingham County came from Rockingham County Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court Judge David O’Donnell.
Dave Herr, a professor of exceptional education at James Madison University, and his wife, Sherry, volunteer for the program in Staunton. He said he enjoys helping protect children and their rights.
“There are just a whole lot of kids in our country that have a whole lot of needs,” Herr said. “It’s pretty refreshing to advocate for them.”
But, he said, it can be difficult dealing with some of the cases.
“It can be pretty overwhelming to read the history, to see the things kids have to endure,” Herr said. “Especially when you compare your childhood to their childhood.”
CASA plans to train 15 volunteers to start and may expand as it takes on more cases in Harrisonburg and Rockingham County.
Contact Pete DeLea at 574-6278 or pdelea@dnronline.com
Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children is a national nonprofit organization that provides volunteers to advocate for abused and neglected children.
“We speak up for the child,” said Michael Nay, executive director of the Staunton office. “It’s another set of eyes and ears on the case.”
When a special advocate is needed, a judge will assign a volunteer to a specific case. The volunteers then work alongside a guardian ad litem and social worker and make recommendations to the judge on custody and other issues.
CASA serves the Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court in Augusta County, Staunton, Waynesboro, Lexington, Rockbridge County, Covington and Alleghany County. (CASA is not affiliated with The Collins Center of Harrisonburg, which used to be known as Citizens Against Sexual Assault and was often referred to by the same acronym.)
The request for CASA’s assistance in Harrisonburg and Rockingham County came from Rockingham County Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court Judge David O’Donnell.
Dave Herr, a professor of exceptional education at James Madison University, and his wife, Sherry, volunteer for the program in Staunton. He said he enjoys helping protect children and their rights.
“There are just a whole lot of kids in our country that have a whole lot of needs,” Herr said. “It’s pretty refreshing to advocate for them.”
But, he said, it can be difficult dealing with some of the cases.
“It can be pretty overwhelming to read the history, to see the things kids have to endure,” Herr said. “Especially when you compare your childhood to their childhood.”
CASA plans to train 15 volunteers to start and may expand as it takes on more cases in Harrisonburg and Rockingham County.
Contact Pete DeLea at 574-6278 or pdelea@dnronline.com