The director of Richmond CASA, or Court Appointed Special Advocates, says the program is looking to recruit of more volunteers. The program, which pairs trained adult volunteers with children in foster care or the court system, currently has 62 adults working with 104 kids, leaving 45 children without an advocate.
Program Director Jessica Moore says she’d like to see at least 25 new volunteers signed up for CASA’s January training session. The last session, scheduled for this fall, had to be canceled due to lack of volunteers.
CASA advocates are responsible for taking on a specific child’s case and working with that child over the next 18 months. This allows the volunteers to get to know the child and offer specific, focused support.
Training for the program lasts a month, with most sessions in the evening. Interested adults — ages 21+ — can reach out to Richmond CASA’s volunteer coordinator.