Six local people recently completed thirty hours of training in order to become volunteer advocates for abused and neglected children in the custody of the state. The training ended with the Honorable Judge Lauri Blake administering an oath to the new CASA volunteers in the 336th District Court.
New child advocates with the Fannin County Children’s Center include Maryle Jones from Trenton, Cheryl Peeler and Mahlon McCall from Bonham, Dale Horton from Dodd City, Karola Brookshire from Honey Grove and Jamie Jester from Whitewright.
Each of the volunteers completed an intensive training class which has prepared them to advocate for children in the foster care system. CASA, which stands for Court Appointed Special Advocates, is appointed by the district judge to be the Guardian ad Litem for these children. In that role, they will investigate the child’s situation and advocate for the child’s best interest in court hearings and other settings.
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New CASA Volunteers - (l-r) Dale Horton, Cheryl Peeler, Jamie Jeter, 336th District Judge Lauri Blake, Maryle Jones, Karola Brookshire and Mahlon McCall pause for a group picture after these newest CASA volunteers took their oath to advocate for the best interest of children in foster care.
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In the agency’s most recent fiscal year, CASA volunteers contributed more than 2,400 hours and drove more than 32,000 miles in their work on behalf of 82 children. For more information, call (903) 583-4339 or visit www.fanninccc.org .
