CASA of Yuma County seeks volunteers
Group in ‘critical need’ of male and bilingual helpers
For 35 years and counting, CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) of Arizona has served more than 25,000 abused, neglected and at-risk children in the state’s foster care system through volunteers who invest their time, energy and heart to speak up for the welfare of these children in courtroom hearings and other settings.
Established locally in 1993, CASA of Yuma County is currently outfitted with 46 volunteers who collectively serve about 100 children in foster care – but that’s only about 44% of the area’s demographic.
According to Veronica Davis, coordinator for CASA of Yuma County, without additional recruits, the remaining percentage – about 130 local children – are left without an advocate.
“That remains a challenge for pretty much all the CASA programs that I’m aware of,” said Davis. “In general, we don’t have enough CASAs to serve the needs of the foster children in our local community. The need for volunteers is not diminished just because so many things are closed down. COVID has shut a lot of things down, but child abuse is not one of them and neither is child neglect. The children in foster care are still in
need of someone to be their voice and to support them through this journey. So the need for volunteers continues.”
In Yuma County, there is a particularly critical need for bilingual volunteers. According to Davis, only four of CASA of Yuma County’s volunteers are fluent in Spanish and therefore able to take on cases involving Spanish-speaking families – a legitimate issue for an area whose population is upwards of 50% Hispanic or Latino, as documented by the U.S. Census Bureau in 2010.
“It is definitely a challenge and something we’d like to try to address,” said Davis. “Once COVID is over, we’re looking toward being able to do more outreach and recruit in the Somerton and San Luis areas and making ourselves visible to the populations there.”
Davis noted that the program is also in need of more male volunteers.
“The majority of single parent households are female, and a lot of the children aren’t having that positive male influence,” Davis said. “Male CASAs can provide that missing link for those children.”
Individuals interested in becoming a CASA volunteer can apply online at www.casaofyumacounty.org. Applicants must be 21 or older, complete a background check and interview process as well as 30 hours of preliminary training and must be available for court appearances, advocating for the welfare of the child(ren) to which they are appointed and providing testimony when necessary.
Volunteers spend an average of 15-20 hours on a case each month, according to the organization’s website, and are asked to commit to their role until their first case is closed.
“We ask so much from the individuals as volunteers,” said Davis. “It’s a huge, huge undertaking. The commitment is huge – we ask the CASAs to be the constant and caring adult in the child’s life until the child reaches permanency, and that can be two years or more in a lot of our cases.”
Davis added: “Our CASAs have lots of hoops to jump through, lots of requirements that they have to achieve each year.”
These requirements include a minimum of one visit with their assigned child or children each month, attending all meetings and hearings involving their child and submitting various documents regarding these events within a prescribed time frame and completing 12 hours of ongoing training per year – which have conformed to a virtual format since the onset of COVID-19.
“Those trainings are specific to what a CASA might encounter when they’re working with cases, Davis said. “It could be child abuse but there’s also substance abuse, domestic violence, trafficking and the vulnerability of foster children to a trafficking environment, learning about education and Individual Education Program (IEP) and how to assist the children in getting those services.”
According to Davis, visits with their assigned children have also gone virtual for volunteers.
“That’s been a big challenge for the current CASA volunteers – losing that ability to sit with their children,” she said. They can read a book to them virtually, but to do that face to face really makes a big difference in that relationship, especially for the children. Our volunteers have been finding ways to stay connected and help those children know that your CASA isn’t going anywhere – they’re still there for you and working for you and available to you.”
For individuals who want to volunteer but may be unable to make such a commitment at this time, there is another way to get involved.
The Yuma Council for CASA Inc. (YCCI) is a nonprofit organization established to raise funds for CASA of Yuma County to fulfill the unmet needs of children in foster care, from everyday basics like clothing and school supplies to educational scholarships and extracurricular and recreational activities.
Donations can be made to YCCI at P.O. Box 903, Yuma, AZ 85366.
The nonprofit can be contacted via phone at 928-246-3034, via email at yumacouncilforcasa@yahoo.com or via Facebook at www.facebook.com/YumaCouncilforCASA.
“A lot of kids go into foster care with just the clothes on their back, and some kids don’t have clothes on their back,” Davis said. “Some people can’t volunteer their time, but they have financial resources that they would be interested in providing.”
For more information on CASA of Yuma County, contact the office at 928314-1830 or contact Davis at vdavis@courts.az.gov.