Columbia Gorge CASA welcomed 8 new advocates at a swearing-in ceremony led by Judge John Wolf on April 18th. These volunteer advocates included: Jeannie Chance, Christine Crandall, Glenna Gibson, Amber Johnson, Theo Parkinson, Terra Veazey, Baily Waldron, and Mary Zenorini.
As advocates, these volunteers will have the responsibility of advocating for the best interest of children that are involved in the court system due to having experienced abuse and neglect.
“Every day we hear negative news about shootings, climate change, homelessness, and the list goes on. I can’t do much about those big problems, but I can do something about a part of society that we don’t always hear about: abused and neglected children,” expressed Zenorini.
Before being sworn in, each of these new volunteers completed an extensive screening process and 38 hours of training. Throughout the training process, they learned about child welfare best practices, recognizing one’s own biases, court report writing, and how to build trust with the child for which they will eventually advocate.
“The training was excellent with a good combination of classroom learning, online videos and articles, and impressive personal speakers,” stated Zenorini. “My eyes were really opened up to some of the tragedies taking place in our country today that no one talks about.”
Columbia Gorge CASA currently has a waiting list of over 20 children in need of an advocate. Additional advocates help to ensure that the voices of our community's most vulnerable children are heard in court.
Comments