April is Child Abuse Awareness and Prevention Month, and the Morehead and Rowan County governments came together to once again recognize CASA Day in the region. CASA stands for Court Appointed Special Advocate and is a program that matches volunteers with children who are in the legal system through no fault of their own, chiefly after suffering child abuse.
Beth Ellis, Executive Director for CASA of the Gateway Region, said it’s been a little over a year since the organization started up here. She said in that time the growth they’ve seen in the program has been exponential.
“We have added staff members, but we’ve also added counties. So, we originally started with serving Rowan, Bath, Menifee, and Montgomery counties and now we also serve Carter, Elliott, Morgan and Boyd counties. So, we have doubled, essentially, the counties we are serving,” said Ellis.
Ellis said she never anticipated growing so much in just a year, but it’s proof of the impact her organization is having on the community.
Sarah Stacy, Assistant County Attorney for Rowan County, said CASA volunteers are vital to helping children during and after court proceedings, providing them with a safe space and person to talk to.
“Unfortunately, sometimes it is not in the best interest or it’s not safe for kids to return home. And in those cases, a CASA is also a great advocate in giving that child a voice on what permanency is. So, whether or not they are adopted or that there’s some sort of other permanency options for them to be safe and be heard in the system,” said Stacy.
Stacy said child abuse prevention is an important issue, alongside working to heal the damage that has been caused.
Anyone interested in becoming a CASA volunteer should reach out to the CASA office and speak with Beth Ellis. She said the group is always looking for new people so they can provide the most support possible to children in need. The CASA of the Gateway Region office can be reached at (606) 610-0021.