Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
When a small child has the misfortune of somehow entering the legal system — usually through no fault of their own — sometimes the best friend that child can have is a Court Appointed Special Advocate or CASA volunteer.
Unfortunately, that’s a service that has been missing in eastern New Mexico for almost a year, according to Erinn Burch, executive director of the United Way of Eastern New Mexico.
She said it was lost when the 9th Judicial District’s Family and Children’s Court Services office closed early in 2018.
But there is an effort under way to return this vital service for our area, with upcoming informational meetings scheduled in Portales and Clovis.
Ninth Judicial District Judge Donna Mowrer is one of those spearheading the project.
“When abused and neglected children are placed in foster care, there is little that is constant in their world,” Mowrer said. “A CASA volunteer is that constant.”
Trained CASA volunteers provide valuable information about a child’s progress, wishes and best interests, Mowrer said.
In short, she said, “A CASA volunteer speaks for the child in court, often times when the child cannot speak.”
The United Way is hosting meetings at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday in its Portales office, 108 S. Ave. F, and 5:30 p.m. Jan. 22 in its Clovis office, 1200 N. Thornton, “to see what the level of interest is in these communities for restarting this service,” Burch said.
Burch said the meetings are “very much a first-step thing.”
The meetings will have identical agendas, and both are open to anyone from either county. The state director of the CASA program and the Chaves County CASA director are scheduled to be in attendance at both.
Who should attend?
Prospective volunteers are more than welcome, Burch said, but there is a critical need for “people who see themselves as board members … people who are committed to being a guiding force for this organization.”
While United Way is hosting these meetings, Burch noted that if we resolve to bring CASA back to eastern New Mexico, it will not be part of United Way, but rather would function independently.
“We just know the value of the service,” Burch said, “and we would like to see if there’s enough interest out there to get it started.”
Burch said a new CASA program might not even require a physical office.
“All you need is whatever it takes to train, deploy, and keep track of volunteers,” she said.
If you have a heart for children, please consider attending one of those meetings, or contact Mowrer at 575-359-6922, or Burch at 575-769-2103.
Our smallest and most vulnerable fellow humans need us. An active CASA program could make all the difference.
Betty Williamson believes in the power of volunteers. Reach her at:
