Page 86 - South Mississippi Living - September, 2026

Count On A Voice
Children Can
The Women of CASA of South Mississippi
story by Cherie Ward
photos courtesy of CASA of South Mississippi
When Taryn Shelton talks about her work as a Court
Appointed Special Advocate for children, one memory still
brings tears to her eyes.
The child she was assigned to had experienced significant
trauma. Like many children in foster care, trust did not come
easily. Over time, Shelton showed up consistently—making
visits, listening, and advocating.
Then one day, during an especially difficult moment, the child
reached out.
“It wasn’t necessarily a positive
part of the case,” Shelton
explained. “But it was one of
those moments where I realized
the child trusted me.”
For Shelton, that phone call
represented something bigger
than a crisis. It was proof that
a child who had experienced
instability and loss knew there
was at least one adult who would
answer—and would be there in
a rough moment.
That connection is at the
heart of CASA of South Mississippi, which serves children
in Harrison, Hancock, and Stone counties who have been
removed from their homes because of abuse or neglect and
placed in Child Protective Services custody.
Once appointed by a youth court judge, CASA volunteers
Taryn Shelton and Kelly Blackmon,
CASA Community Outreach Coordinator
become the eyes and ears of the court. After completing
background checks and a 30-hour national training curriculum,
volunteers are sworn in as officers of the court and assigned to
advocate for a child’s best interests throughout the life of a case.
“Children may have multiple CPS workers throughout a
case,” said Lauren Saucier, program director for CASA of
South Mississippi. “But our goal is for them to have one CASA
advocate who stays with them from start to finish.”
That consistency can be life-
changing.
Volunteers visit children
regularly, communicate with foster
parents, teachers, counselors, and
caseworkers, and submit reports to
the court with recommendations
about what is in the child’s best
interest. Those recommendations
carry significant weight. This year
alone, CASA advocates have made
hundreds of recommendations to
the court, with the vast majority
becoming court orders.
Advocates also help identify
unmet needs, whether that means educational support, medical
care, counseling, or extracurricular opportunities.
“A lot of these children don’t get many choices,” Saucier said.
“They don’t get to decide where they live, where they go to
school, or many of the things most children take for granted.
86 | September 2026 www.smliving.net | SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living