If you are interested in learning more about how to become a beneficiary please reach out to us via email during the months of December/January each year as we begin to look forward to the next years event and review our beneficiaries. Please email information about your organization to Heidi Chackel at heidi@rogue5media.com. Your organization must be a registered non profit and benefit the Southern Oregon region entirely.
Most young people have at least one adult they can rely on, someone who’s always there to listen to them, to watch them, to help them successfully navigate the world. For most kids, parents do that. For others, it’s a grandparent, a special aunt, a favorite uncle. A reliable adult who looks out for their best interest–that’s something every child deserves. For many kids living in foster care, this is the very thing that’s missing.
Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteers are adults from every walk of life who step up to fill this role. Appointed by a judge to be the independent eyes and ears of the court, a CASA volunteer watches over and advocates for a child until the child is placed in a safe, permanent home. CASA of Jackson County supports volunteers who help abused and neglected foster children in court and the community. A CASA, or Court Appointed Special Advocate, is a trained and supervised volunteer, appointed by a judge to advocate for a foster child – a child who is under the court’s protection because of abuse or neglect. A CASA volunteer provides an independent investigation of the child’s circumstances for the judge. The CASA gathers information, writes reports, and makes recommendations to the judge in the child’s best interests.
CASA volunteers maintain regular visits with the children they serve, getting to know the child as an individual, not just a case. CASA volunteers make a difference in the lives of foster children, one child at a time, by ensuring they receive the support and help they deserve. Studies have shown that children with CASAs receive more assistance and support than children without. When a foster child has a CASA, that child has a consistent adult guaranteeing that the child’s needs are heard and addressed in court. The CASA volunteer is often the most stable presence in a foster child’s life and for many foster children, the CASA volunteer is the only person who is not paid to care for them. CASA volunteers bring the voice of the community into a child welfare system that is often overly bureaucratic and legalistic.
