Having completed 30 hours of classroom training and approximately three hours of court observation, 16 volunteers officially will be able to help abused or neglected children in foster care.
Judge Robert Kershaw recently swore in the following individuals as Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASAs):
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Alissa Augustin of Frankford
Monya Butler of Cedarcroft
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Lakeya Chambers of Rosedale
Ashley Hartman of Severn
Heidi Hartz of Fell’s Point
Angela Johns of Windsor Mill
Amber Jones of Reisterstown
Jensen Jose of Federal Hill
Tonia Lardner of Towson
Angela Moloney of Seton Hill
Audrey Ndaba of Hampden
Catherine Searson of Guilford
Amanda Udoff of Pikesville
Heather Weaver of Essex
Jane Whang of Hanover
Veda Wilson of Ellicott City
“We are excited to have new, eager volunteers available for assignment to kids,” said Susan Burger, executive director for CASA of Baltimore, Inc. “There are thousands of youth in care in Baltimore City and the more volunteers we have, the more young people we can serve.”
The newest group of CASAs includes an AmeriCorps volunteer, a mortgage closing coordinator, several full-time students, a part-time sales associate, a stay-at-home mom and a few Johns Hopkins employees. They bring their own individual strengths to CASA of Baltimore, but all have the same goal in mind.
“I have the opportunity to advocate for foster children so that their living environment can be conducive to learning and growing, so that they can have the luxury to dream,” said Whang, a former New York City teacher, who now is a dentist at Kool Smiles in Baltimore City.
“As a teacher, I had students who were homeless, parentless and so on, but I couldn’t afford to commit my energy on all 80 students and only could focus on a few,” she added. “As a CASA volunteer I can focus all my energy on ONE child: how amazing! I want to do my best to advocate for whomever I’m assigned.”
Like Whang, Searson also “hope[s] to make a difference in a child’s life in a very real and positive way.” A pediatric nurse practitioner for Steven Caplan M.D., she looks forward to the time she can commit to her new volunteer position, now that her own children are away at college.
“I’m just starting in the role of a volunteer advocate, but expect it to be interesting, challenging and rewarding,” added Searson, who is advocating for a 16-year-old girl with a 1-year-old daughter, who relocated to Maryland to live with extended family after the 16-year-old was assaulted by a man living in her family home.
No special experience is required to become a CASA volunteer; training and supervision are provided by professional staff. For more information about volunteer opportunities with CASA of Baltimore, Inc., call 410-244-1465 or visit www.casabalt.org.
Founded in 1988, Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Baltimore, Inc. serves abused and neglected children by representing their voices in the Baltimore City court system and advocating for their best interests in the judicial, educational, medical and social service communities.
The non-profit recruits, trains and supervises CASAs to provide written, objective recommendations to the Court; to serve as a consistent adult presence, and to monitor that child's well-being. As advocates, the volunteers ensure that their assigned child’s best interests are heard and understood by the Court. CASA volunteers aid in the transition from the foster care system to a safe permanent home, giving hope and support to Baltimore’s children. For more information, visit www.casabalt.org; outside Baltimore, visit www.marylandcasa.org.