Page 93 - South Mississippi Living - December, 2018

GIVING BACK bettering little lives
PROVIDES VOICE FOR CHILDREN
story by Kelsey Sunderman-Foster photos courtesy of CASA
CASA of Hancock County
644 Dunvar Ave., Bay St Louis 228.344.0419 www.casahancockcounty.org
CASA, or Court Appointed Special Advocate, is a program dedicated to helping abused and neglected children. For more than 40 years, this national organization and its volunteers have been a stable presence in the lives of the more than 700,000 children who experience abuse and neglect each year. With a CASA volunteer dedicated to their case, America’s most vulnerable children have someone by their side, speaking up for their best interests.
These advocates aren’t just volunteers, they are trained and have completed 30 hours of pre-service training, extensive background checks, work references
and personal references. “We are people who believe that every child has the right to be treated with dignity, to be safe, and to thrive in the embrace of a loving family,” says CASA of Jackson County Executive Director Frances. L. Allsup. “Unfortunately, many of these children never find that forever family and are released from custody with little or no support system, often without the skills needed to live independently.”
CASA of Harrison County
47 Maples Dr., Gulfport 228.865.7078 www.casaharrisoncounty.org
With a CASA volunteer, a child is half as likely to languish in foster care and the child welfare system, and is much more likely to find a safe, permanent home. CASA volunteers are trained to help children in custody prepare for a successful future. The volunteer, once appointed, will fight to ensure that the child’s basic rights and essential needs don’t get overlooked or ignored by the system.
CASA of Harrison County Executive Director Jeannie Herrin says the public can help advocate for a child by training to be a CASA advocate and by making
a monetary donation to ‘Fund a CASA Advocate.’
“Our program is funded exclusively through charitable giving. A monetary investment will help to ensure that CASA remains a vital and active program, giving these children a voice and a chance for a better life. Take a stand with us to enhance the quality of life of children and families within our community.”
CASA of Jackson County
4903 Telephone Rd., Pascagoula 228.762.7370 www.jccasa.net
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December 2018 • SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living 93