The Kenai Peninsula CASA program is recruiting volunteers. CASA stands for Court Appointed Special Advocate. The program assigns CASA’s to speak for children caught in the middle of cases often dealing with neglect and abuse. Jessica Crump is the Program Assistant for the program.
“The cases can go anywhere from one year to two years. CASA’s are generally with that child from the time the case starts to the time the case closes. On top of that we like our volunteers to make contact with the kids at least two hours a month and [have] at least two hours of contact with the kids,” said Crump.
It’s a time consuming job and finding new recruits is always a challenge. To swell their ranks the CASA program is holding information meetings to teach people what it means to be a CASA.
“What a CASA does, what a CASA isn’t and what somebody can expect while they are a CASA,” said Crump.
Crump says there will be information sessions every month until March. There will be a longer more in depth training in March for people who pass background checks.
Crump is hoping to have at least five people graduate into the March training session. She asks anyone interested in the program to come out to their monthly meetings.
“If they have the compassion the heart and the time and the motivation to do this they can always just give me a call and we can go from there,” said Crump.
At the moment Crump is in contact with five people interested in learning about becoming a CASA. Only one person attended the program’s latest information session held on Wednesday.
If you’d like to learn more about the CASA program contact Jessica Crump at 907-335-7218 or email JCrump@kenaitze.org.
Quinton Chandler is a reporter at KTOO in Juneau.
