CASA of Ellis County 20th Anniversary Ribbon Cutting

Texas CASA CEO Vicki Spriggs attends the CASA of Ellis County 20th Anniversary Ribbon Cutting. (From left to right) Vicki Spriggs with Rhodie Rawls, former CASA of Ellis County Executive Director, and current Executive Director, Kim Garlitz; (middle) Vicki Spriggs with former Texas CASA Board Chairs Greg Wilhelm and John Knight.

NEWS RELEASE FROM CASA OF ELLIS COUNTY:

CASA of Ellis County celebrated the 20th anniversary of serving children in Ellis County on September 25.  The program was established in 2004 to provide advocacy for children who enter the foster care system after removal from their homes by Child Protective Services. 

The program was formed in Waxahachie in the early 2000’s when Ellis County Judge Bob Carroll saw the value and strength of appointing community volunteers to serve as guardians ad litem for families in his CPS court.  Under Judge Carroll’s oversight, a nurse was appointed to serve on one CPS case involving medical neglect, and on another case, a special needs teacher was appointed to serve a child with disabilities. Both cases closed successfully with children reunified with their parents.

Seeing the contribution that this extra level of support lent to the case, Judge Carroll researched and found the national organization, now the National Court Appointed Special Advocate/Guardian Ad Litem (CASA/GAL) Association for Children, and Texas CASA, the umbrella agency over local Texas programs. A steering committee comprised of local Ellis County community members was formed, CASA of Ellis County was established in September 2004, and the program was appointed to its first case shortly after.

“Today, as a part of the anniversary celebration of CASA of Ellis County, we reflect back over the past 20 years with deep gratitude to the hundreds of community volunteers who have given generously of their time, talent, and resources toward making our local CASA an unqualified success,” stated Judge Carroll.

CASA Volunteer Advocates are appointed by the Courts with the authority and responsibility to speak with educators, medical and psychological professionals, families of origin and foster families to assess any delays or needs of children in foster care. As the legal case against the parents progresses, these Volunteer Advocates also make recommendations as to where the children should reside permanently, be it back at home with parents who have alleviated safety concerns, with extended family, or with an unrelated adoption.

CASA Volunteer Advocates are currently appointed by Judge Jim Chapman in Ellis County.  “CASA of Ellis County has been indispensable in providing advocacy and solace for every child making their way through the child protection system in Ellis County for the last twenty years and with the help of its volunteers and donors will no doubt continue to do so for generations to come,” Judge Chapman remarked.

CASA Volunteer advocates rarely have a legal or social work background, but they have a heart for helping children in need.  Working alongside the team of caseworkers and attorneys, Volunteer Advocates truly become the voice of the child and seek decisions in the child’s best interest.

These Volunteer Advocates provide educational, medical, psychological, developmental and social advocacy in court hearings while reporting directly to Judge Chapman. “CASA Volunteer Advocates continue to amaze and inspire me by finding unique ways to create rapport with children on their case and go over and beyond expectations for creating a meaningful bond with the children they serve,” stated CASA of Ellis County Executive Director Kim Garlitz. “Our CASA Kiddos are so resilient in light of the hard places from which they have come, and I am so proud of our Volunteer Advocates for being part of the team that carries these children to their happy ever after,” continued Garlitz.

CASA of Ellis County has received a great outpouring of support from community leaders, businesses, and like-minded organizations and partners over the last 20 years.  The Ellis County program has served 100% of the children removed from their homes in Ellis County, and 100% of those children are served with a Volunteer Advocate.

“Looking to the future,” remarked Judge Carroll, “our hope and belief is that the organization’s leadership will continue to focus on CASA’s core mission – to recruit, train, equip, resource, and supervise the CASA volunteer advocates who appear in Court throughout the life of a CPS case, and serve as the voice of those children who are victims of serious abuse and neglect. And may CASA continue to perform with excellence!”

CASA of Ellis County serves approximately 100 children each year with over 50 Volunteer Advocates.  To find out more about becoming a Volunteer Advocate to serve children in need, visit www.casaofelliscounty.org or call 972-937-1455.

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