MACOMB, ILL. -- A Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) program will open on July 1 in Macomb and will be a program of the Advocacy Network for Children.
The agency has been working with a group of volunteers from McDonough County which will serve as its advisory board. Those volunteers are: Judge Patricia Walton, Earl Bracey, Judge John Clerkin (Retired), Mona Johnston, Rusty Melhouse, Mark Rodeffer, Gina Sheridan, and Eileen Worthington.
CASA volunteers are trained community volunteers appointed by a judge to speak up for abused or neglected children in the court system. CASA volunteers work alongside attorneys and social workers from case inception to its completion. CASA volunteers come from all walks of life and no special experience is required. These trained volunteers will represent the children of McDonough County.
Last year, more than 70,900 CASA and guardian ad litem (GAL) volunteers helped 237,000 abused and neglected children find safe, permanent homes.
The CASA office will be located at the First Presbyterian Church, at 400 E. Carroll Street, in Macomb.
According to Clairice Hetzler, Executive Director of Advocacy Network for Children, during the month of June the agency will be hiring a person to oversee the CASA program. The agency intends to have trained volunteers by the fall and begin the new program before the end of the year.
For more information, please call Clairice Hetzler at 217-223-2272 or 217-257-8262. You can also visit the agency’s website at www.advonet.org and learn how you can become an advocate.
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