When a child has to go through the foster care system, it can often be overwhelming and stressful. That’s where Central Georgia CASA comes in to help. CASA, which stands for Court Appointed Special Advocates, is a team a volunteers whose goal is to support children through that process.

The organization is celebrating 25 years of helping our youngest people in the Macon Judicial Circuit, and they’re holding an event to mark the occasion. It’s happening Tuesday, November 1, at 10:00 a.m. at the Thomas Jackson Juvenile Justice Center (560 Oglethorpe Street). Media members are invited to attend and hear judges, organizers, and advocates talk about the impact of CASA on our communities.

“Our volunteers are vital to the foster care process to speak up for our children,” says CASA Executive Director Susanna Patterson. “We want people to know about the work we do and how it helps our young people navigate some of the most difficult times of their lives. We’re proud to have helped 157 kids this past year, and hundreds more over the past 25 years.”

CASA volunteers are sworn in through the juvenile court system, and meet with their assigned child at least once a month, as well as the child’s doctors, teachers, case workers, foster parents, and often their biological parents to make sure the child’s needs are being met. They also prepare written and oral reports to present to the courts. The goal is to make sure that child is receiving the care they need.

It was announced on Tuesday, June 14 that Central Georgia CASA was one of 25 recipients of the first round of Macon Violence Prevention (MVP) grants. It received $25,000 to recruit, train, and support more volunteers for children 12 years of age and older.

“We need to focus on our youth ages 12 or older, but that’s the area where we have the fewest volunteers,” says Patterson. “Thanks to the Macon Violence Prevention program, we will be able to focus outreach and training efforts to expand our volunteer network, focusing on this group of children that need us the most.”

Anyone can be a volunteer, but Peterson says they are looking for people with a heart for children, are not afraid to ask the hard questions, and are ready to advocate for a child’s best interests. All volunteers go through a five-session training and ten hours of observation at Juvenile Court.

Retired educators and nurses make great volunteers, and they are especially in need of men as volunteers. Of the 50 volunteers currently working with CASA, only 4 are men. The time commitment is 10-15 hours per month, mostly from phone calls and checking on case work. They ask that the volunteer meet with the child or children in person at least once per month.

“Our volunteers are focused on getting children back with parents or a permanent home, as well as graduating high school,” says Patterson. “Kids with volunteers do better in school, have better home stability, and are better behaved in and out of school.”