Martinsburg, W.Va. – CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) of the Eastern Panhandle is training volunteers. The volunteer training sessions will begin on February 13, 2023 and be held Monday through Thursday for 2 weeks, from 1 pm – 4:30 pm. There are various ways to participate in trainings including in person, virtual and self-guided. Interested community members can visit www.www.mycasaep.org, send an email to volunteer@4e3e7b3687.nxcli.io, or call 304-263-5100 for more information.
CASA volunteers work with children who have experienced abuse or neglect and they speak up for their best interests in the courtroom and in the community. Highly-trained volunteers, together with a senior-staff team, work within the child welfare system to help children and youth find safety, permanency, and the road home, wherever it lies. Currently, the organization serves approximately 370 children, but more than 400 children are without a CASA volunteer across Berkeley, Jefferson, and Morgan counties. The number of children in foster care continues to grow, doubling since 2019, as the opioid crisis and the devastating cycle of substance use disorders continues affecting the health and well-being of our community’s most vulnerable families.
Children in the foster care system fare better when they have a CASA volunteer who understands their unique experience. Children with a CASA do better in school, have fewer out-of-home placements, and find permanency faster.
CASA-EP is looking for volunteers who are passionate about helping vulnerable children and youth, are willing to dedicate 35 hours to training, are at least 21 years of age, and are be able to pass reference and criminal background checks. A successful CASA volunteer is compassionate, objective, and passionate about making a difference. If this sounds like you, please attend this upcoming information session to learn more about the work, the impact you can have on a child’s life, and next steps on the road to making an important difference in the community.
About CASA of the Eastern Panhandle
CASA-EP has been serving the community for 20 years and believes that every child who’s been abused or neglected deserves to have a dedicated advocate speaking up for their best interest in court, at school, and in our community. To accomplish this, CASA-EP educates and empowers diverse community volunteers who ensure that each child’s needs remain a priority in an overburdened child welfare system. In addition to court-appointed volunteer services, CASA-EP provides additional family support through comprehensive parent and education advocacy and administers a Fostering Futures program to meet the critical needs of at-risk and underserved youth (ages 13-18) on track to “age out” of the foster care system.
To learn more about their work and how you can get involved, please visit www.mycasaep.org.
Connect with us on social media:
Facebook:facebook.com/mycasaep
Instagram: instagram.com/mycasaep
