Program seeks volunteers to be advocates for kids

Tuesday, April 14, 1998 | 10:16 a.m.

April is National Child Abuse Prevention and Awareness month and the Clark County Court Appointed Special Advocate Program is looking for volunteers.

The CASA program trains volunteers to speak up for abused and neglected children in court.

"A CASA volunteer is someone who works as a watchdog as the child goes through the system and makes sure that the child isn't shuffled around too much," Poonum Adams, spokesperson and CASA volunteer since 1993, said.

"It doesn't take much to make a difference in a child's life," Adams said.

Adams said Clark County has 1,200 kids in foster care and only 50 percent of them have volunteers to keep an eye on them. She said that case workers are bogged down with maybe 50 to 60 cases each and they don't have time to make the extra phone calls.

The "CASA Recruitment Fair" will be from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on April 30 in Family Court, 601 N. Pecos Road, in Courtroom 7. The CASA program invites anyone interested in finding out more about the program.

The volunteers then go through a 40-hour training program.

Adams said that volunteers don't have to have any prior special training or background.

"We can use anyone who can be objective and wants to help the children," she said, adding that they could use more men and minority volunteers.

"It's a very rewarding experience. You get a case from start to finish, knowing very little and when you see that child get adopted you feel like you really did something," Adams said.

The CASA program was started by a Seattle judge who was concerned about the decisions he had to make over children's futures. It is part of a national movement which is celebrating its 21st anniversary.

There are 642 CASA programs with 38,000 volunteers across the country. The Clark County Program began 18 years ago.