Hill Country CASA seeking volunteers

Contributed

At the present time there are over 200 children from our area who have been removed from their family homes because of abuse or neglect. These children are now in the custody of Child Protective Services (CPS) and their legal cases are handled by area courts. Hill Country CASA is once again recruiting community volunteers to work with the courts as advocates for these children.

New CASA volunteer training will begin on Tuesday, Sept. 11 and will run three days a week for two weeks. New CASA advocates will be ready to serve the courts by the first of October.

Registration and pre-training interview are necessary. To inquire about Hill Country CASA's program or to pre-register for the upcoming volunteer training sessions call 896-2272, e-mail hccasa@ktc.com or stop by the CASA office at 309 Earl Garrett Street in Kerrville.

Hill Country CASA's 100 community volunteers serve children from Bandera, Kerr, Gillespie and Kendall counties. Potential CASA volunteers do not need a legal background but must complete scheduled training sessions and submit to criminal and CPS background checks before being sworn in by the judiciary as Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA).

Hill Country CASA is a member in good standing of both Texas CASA and the National CASA Association. The local office has been operating as a community supported nonprofit organization since 1989. Local volunteers who participate in the CASA program contribute thousands of hours each year to the service of area children.

As a community service, the Bandera County Courier continues to collect new, gently used and clean stuffed toys for CASA volunteers to give to their young clients to provide comfort during court appearances.