New Advocates for Foster Youth Sworn in as CASA Volunteers

Residents of Bloomfield, East Orange, Livingston, Montclair, Maplewood, Newark, South Orange, West Orange, Jersey City, Springfield, and Morristown were sworn in as Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASAs) by Essex County Superior Court Judge Grimbergen on May 18, 2018. These volunteers recently completed 33 hours of training to become advocates for Essex County's abused, neglected or abandoned children who were removed from their homes and placed in foster care. CASAs speak up for these children in court to ensure they receive the services and support they need, and that their time in care is as short as possible.

CASA volunteers act as an extra set of eyes and ears for family court judges. In addition to spending time with the youth, advocates communicate with all parties involved in the youth's life, such as resource parents, caseworkers, teachers, doctors, and therapists, to gather information about what is happening in a child's life. All findings are included in a court report.

Of the 1,800 children in foster care within Essex County each year, nearly 600 were served by CASA. More volunteers are needed to work with over 1,200 youth who still need a CASA Advocate.

The next training course begins July 16. For more information regarding training or other ways to help the organization reach more foster youth, contact Jess at 973-622-4831 or jearl@casaessex.org.

Pictured from left (back): Deidra Carey - Springfield, NJ; Juliet Robinson - West Orange, NJ; Sherry Caesar - Orange, NJ; Johnnie Jones Tucker - Orange, NJ; Dennis Cronin - Maplewood, NJ; Adwoa Odame-Darkwa - Jersey City, NJ; Stephanie Sudiono - South Orange, NJ; Jessica Siegal - Montclair, NJ; Jill Ehrlich - Livingston, NJ; Loreen Fennell - Montclair, NJ;

(front): Tiana Andrews - Newark, NJ; Vanya Stolzer - South Orange, NJ; Katie Robinson - Morristown, NJ; Desiree Jacobs - East Orange, NJ

Not pictured: Elizabeth Alva Freyre - Bloomfield, NJ; Morgan Maglich - Maplewood; Gideon Romann - Maplewood, NJ; Limor Levy - Maplewood, NJ