Children in the courts find a voice in Court Appointed Special Advocates
By María Eugenia Guerra
Webb and Zapata County children who move through the civil courts as victims of abuse now have a voice in the in the advocate volunteers of Court Appointed Special Advocates of Webb and Zapata Counties (CASA).
Laredoan Analia García is executive director of the recently formed non-profit corporation that trains and supports volunteers to listen to abused or neglected children and to speak for their best interests independent of attorneys, family members, and case workers.
"CASAs end up becoming heroes in the lives of these children because often they are the ones who most listen and best speak for what the child wants," said García, who is a 2003 criminal justice graduate of Texas A&M International University .
García recently made a community presentation that recruited for the organization four more volunteer advocate trainees in addition to the six it had. Recruits who withstand screening and background checks will undergo 30 hours of CASA training and complete a 10-chapter curriculum. García said that CASA volunteers do not need specialized degrees or legal training. "What they need," she said, "is to have a concern for children, a genuine desire to help, the ability to remain objective, the maturity to deal with emotional situations, the commitment to complete the 30-hour course, sensitivity to others, access to transportation, a flexible schedule, and a willingness to devote about a year to an assigned case." CASA volunteers must be at least 21.
García said that a CASA volunteer is often the most consistent person in the life of a child in the courts and one who can help the child's movement through the system to a safe and loving permanent home.
According to García, in FY 2003, 3,918 CASA volunteers were advocates for 15,195 abused and neglected children in Texas . There are 60 CASA programs serving 173 counties in the state under auspices of Texas CASA, which was formed in 1989 and is the most rapidly growing CASA association in the country.
García noted that there were 418 victims of child abuse in Webb County in 2003 and 17 in Zapata County .
Executive committee members of the local CASA chapter are Roberto Coronado, president; Eduardo Duarte, co-vice chair; Cynthia Mares, secretary; and Patricia Barrera, treasurer. Committee chairs include Barrera, finance; Beatrice Duarte, personnel; Dody Foster, fund raising and publicity; Sharon Zaffirini, nominating committee; and Dr. Fernando Sosa, legal/medical advisory.
To contact ED Analia García at the CASA office, call (956) 712-CASA or e-mail the organization at casawebbcounty@hotmail.com.
