CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates)

Are you looking for a way to support those doing foster care?  


"CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) needs volunteers. A lot of volunteers. There is an especially strong need for male and minority volunteers.
There are currently more than 1,000 pending juvenile abuse and neglect cases in Peoria County matched to a current roster of about 180 trained CASA volunteers. That means more than 80 percent of the cases move forward without the benefit of a CASA volunteer representing the individual needs of the children in the system who have been removed from their homes by a court order.
CASA will hold an informational meeting about the program on Thursday, Oct. 10, at Two25 in the Mark Twain Hotel, 225 NE Adams St., Peoria. The meeting will be from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Light snacks will be provided.
The next 30-hour training class begins Saturday, Nov. 9, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and continues on Nov. 11, 12, 13 and 14, from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.; Saturday, Nov. 16, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and concluding on Monday, Nov. 18, from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
The training location is the Detweiller Center, 809 W. Detweiller Drive (west of Knoxville Ave.) in Peoria. A swearing-in ceremony will be held at a later date in Courtroom 424, in the Peoria County Courthouse, 324 Main St., Peoria.
For more information, or to register, contact any one of the three advocate supervisors by email: Terry Pyatt, tpyatt@peoriacounty.org; Dominque Alexandre, dalexandre@peoriacounty.org; or, Michael Zerneck, mzerneck@peoriacounty.org. Or call 309-669-2939."

Check out the full article here:
 http://www.pjstar.com/news/x1343101777/CASA-volunteers-help-shoulder-burden-of-child-abuse-cases#ixzz2hGJHwRzQ