CASA needs you to volunteer
There are children who daily in Polk County by no fault of their own ending up in foster care and have no one in their lives to support them through a tangled and difficult process.
As of July 6, 138 of Polk County's children - the second highest county in the state based on the total population - are in foster care, and likely will remain there for some time. More than 60 of those kids have no support when they go through the difficult process of being separated from their families and away from their homes according to Belinda Bentley, executive director of the nonprofit organization Court-Appointed Special Advocates, or CASA.
She wants local residents who have the time and an open heart to become CASA volunteers,
who she said are the real "everyday heroes" for the children in Polk County.
CASA of Polk and Haralson Counties - who at t he moment serve more than 200 children total between the two counties, a majority of those coming from Polk - needs more volunteers to help ensure that each child in the custody of the Department of Family and Children Services, and have a stable and supportive person in their lives.
Only 25 volunteers are currently working between the two counties to help children, which leaves many children without any support at all locally.
"We need help," said Bentley. "Our children need you. We are in a crisis. We want to serve 100 percent of those children in foster care, but we can't do that without volunteers."
The organization in late June graduated three more volunteers for their program, which provides training and guidelines in helping children in the foster care system, and what to expect when those children end up in the middle of court battles between their parents and DFCS.
"These are three really great volunteers who have gone through our class and will be helping our local youth," Bentley said.
However, the new additions to the program only slightly increase the amount of children who can be served. Bentley said that without more people signing up for classes in August and learning what they can do now to help a child, the number of those children going without any support in their lives will continue to grow, and only get worse as more children are taken into foster care and in DFCS custody.
That problem is only getting worse, Bentley said. Many of the children in DFCS custody currently are in foster care because their parents suffer from addict i on problems with methamphetamines and a now resurgent reliance on heroin, but that increasingly domestic violence and sexual abuse are also becoming prevalent reasons.
She said i n recent months, Polk County has also seen a number of children who have ended up in DFCS custody as a result of sex trafficking arrests of adults, and the children have had nowhere else to go.
It's these kids that Bentley said are the ones who need the volunteers the most, and that getting volunteers to take part in the program has been a big barrier to 100 percent support for children. Without that support, she said it's hard to make a dent in the foster care problem overall.
A limited pool of potential volunteers in Polk County that can volunteer with CASA - which does have strict guidelines in place on who can interact with foster children, including background checks - also hinders efforts for recruitment.
"It also takes time and resources," she said. "These people have to spend gas money driving to go see the kids once a week. That alone impacts our ability to get volunteers because many of those we'd love to have serving with us can't afford the cost."
Bentley's hope is that in the coming months that with an increase in visibility in the community and with additional class time on the weekends available for those who traditionally don't have time on weeknights to participate will help increase numbers.
She's also hoping that former teachers will also look at her program and think about taking part, an potential pool of volunteers that so far the organization hasn't been able to make inroads with as much as Bentley would like.
Bentley also encourages younger people who might be interested in a future in social work to get involved, since they can include it on their resume and get a leg up on understanding issues that impact a community while in school, or before they find full time work.
She said it's been difficult to get that age group to volunteer.
"These are the type of people we want," she said.
Bentley added that if the community wants to solve problems rather than complain about how they continue to grow worse, now is the time to get to work and "get their hands dirty."
"We know the problems, everyone knows what they are," she said. "Let's get together and make a change, and do positive things. The one hour you spend a week watching your favorite television program is the hour you can spend a week on a home visit with a kid who doesn't have anyone else in their lives but those who are getting paid to come and see them."
Bentley said those interested in making a change and helping a child can start by contacting CASA by email at contact@polkharalsoncasa.org or calling 678-9011021.
The next round of volunteer training classes begin on Aug. 8 on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 5 to 8 p.m. A Saturday-only class held weekly will also begin the same weekend on Aug. 12 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.