The Honorable Judge Lauri Blake of the 336th District Court recently swore-in six new CASA volunteers to be advocates for children in foster care, including Di Hopkins-Ryan from Ravenna, Robin Loreth from Savoy and Virginia Moore, Donna Thomas, Tiffany Milam and Sophia Dyson from Bonham.
“We are thrilled to welcome these new advocates to our team,” said Sandy Barber, Executive Director of the Fannin County Children’s Center, which includes the local CASA program.
After being sworn-in, all of the volunteers walked across the street to the Children’s Center and officially accepted their first case assignment. As CASA advocates, they will visit their child regularly, as well as the parents, caseworkers, foster parents, family and others involved in the child’s life. CASA advocates prepare written and verbal reports for the court and attend all court hearings regarding the child in order to advocate for the child’s best interest.
“We still need three more volunteers in order to have an advocate for every child in foster care in Fannin County,” stated Barber. New CASA volunteer training classes will be held soon in the evenings.
“Anyone interested in becoming a CASA is encouraged to contact our CASA Program Director Sandy Hood,” said Barber. “You can ask all of the questions you want and see if this volunteer opportunity is a good fit for you.” Sandy Hood can be reached at (903) 583-4339 or sandyh@fanninccc.org.
The Children’s Center also has a free training opportunity coming up for adults to learn how to recognize and report child abuse. This class is especially designed for teachers, parents, day care workers, coaches, Sunday School teachers and others who work or volunteer with children. The class will be held on July 15 from 5:30 to 7:00 pm at the Children’s Center at 112 W 5th in Bonham. To register, contact Tara at tara@fanninccc.org or (903) 583-4339.