6 Locals sworn in as Court Appointed Special Advocates

CASA Youth Advocates, Inc. held a virtual swearing-in ceremony yesterday to welcome 6 new volunteers. The volunteers will work to help CASA ensure that children in Delaware and Chester counties’ child welfare systems live well, achieve academic excellence, and experience the joys of childhood. The ceremony, which finalized the certification of the new volunteer advocates, was administered by The Honorable Judge Analisa Sondergaard.

New volunteers include:

• Julie Block, Kennett Square
• Lily Corzo, Bryn Mawr
• Lisa Hoban, Havertown
• Mimi Limbach, Drexel Hill
• Julie McCloskey, Kennett Square
• Bettyann Raupp, Collegeville

CASA volunteers complete 35 hours of training over the course of two to three weeks. After taking an oath, they become eligible to review and monitor the case of a child or youth experiencing abuse or neglect. Volunteers are assigned to a child to walk alongside them through the child welfare process. Volunteers build trust, investigate the child’s case, and observe, analyze, and advocate for what is best for the child, through written reports and verbal recommendations to the judge. This makes for a rewarding experience for both the child and volunteer.

CASA is actively seeking new volunteers and is experiencing an increase in child welfare cases likely due to the Covid-19 pandemic. For more information about becoming a volunteer with CASA Youth Advocates, Inc., please visit https://www.delcocasa.org/make-a-difference.

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CASA Youth Advocates, Inc., works to ensure that each child in Delaware and Chester counties’ child welfare systems lives well, achieves academic excellence, and experiences the joys of childhood by providing them with trained volunteer advocates who speak for their best interests with support and guidance from CASA’s professional staff of social workers and attorneys. CASA has been serving Delaware County’s children since 1992 and expanded its services to Chester County’s children in 2015.