Tuesday, October 23, 2007

CASA

Children beaten, left hungry, born on drugs because their mom was a user while she was pregnant or just unwanted. This is our world. The foster system is filled with kids that are left to the system. Some dumped by their parents, others taken away because the parents are not fit to care for the child.

You think it is not happening in this day and age, but it is a growing problem, yes, even in your town.

To complicate the matters more, our social services do not care for the children as they should. They do not find out what is really going on at the foster home, school etc of the child and they certainly spend little time with the child to find out what is going on inside them.

The system. Children caught in it for years, some sent home too soon and they end up back in it again. Others would be adoptable, but the system is letting them down.

I want to make a difference in these children's lives. As a result, my husband and I became Court Appointed Special Advocates. The judge appoints volunteers to work with the child, spend time with them, see that the courts and the social services are doing what is best for the child.

My husband and I have a 13 year old boy that we oversee. He has been in the system off and on for some time, and has been given up for adoption last year. He has social issues, trust issues etc because of all that has gone in this boys life.

I urge you to check out the CASA website and see if there is one where you can get involved. You can make a difference in a child's life.

This works for me!

6 comments:

Lori ~ The Simple Life at Home said...

Thank you for letting people know about CASA. A good friend of mine is also a CASA advocate and I so admire what she (and you!) do. God bless you for your work on this boy's behalf.

Anonymous said...

What a fascinating idea. My best friend was in and out of the foster care system for years--always wondered how it worked.

Anonymous said...

I think being a CASA volunteer is one of the best ways a person can spend their volunteer time. Thank you for doing this wonderful service for children in need!!!

TexasTanya said...

CASA has made such a difference in our lives! We adopted our children from Foster Care, so we are familiar with CASA. I truly believe our CASA worker was instrumental in getting the parental rights terminated. While caseworkers came and went, she was there through the whole ordeal. She documented every thing and she worked so hard for our children. She is a precious God-send!

I posted our adoption story last month, so if you're interested you can stop by and read it.

On the anniversary of our boys adoption, I send our CASA worker a picture of the boys and a card letting her know how thankful we are for the hard work she did on their behalf.

Ms. Kathleen said...

What an excellent reminder. My husband and I both went through the foster/adoption training and are helping to start a children's home here in the Black Hills! God Bless!

Ginny said...

Thank you for posting this. I have never heard of it. I have always said I'd love to take in a foster child, but just not able to at this time. I'm going to look into this!