COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — CASA is welcoming 16 new volunteers into its organization.
CASA, or Court Appointed Special Advocates of the Pikes Peak Region, is powered by trained volunteers who fight for the rights and well-being of victims of child abuse, neglect, and severe domestic conflict.
CASA volunteers are appointed by judges to be a voice for these children in court. The volunteers complete 40 hours of intense training, and are ready to help in any way they can.
“We have a vision of serving all children by 2020,” CASA advocate DeeAnn Rothstein said. “We call that Vision 2020. And right now we are only serving about 60 percent of the children in our community who really need a voice in court, which is what we do. So to have 16 new members, 16 new advocates, is a big deal for us, so it means children in our community get a voice.”
In just the first quarter of 2016, there have been 560 substantiated cases of child abuse and neglect in El Paso County.