December 7, 2023
Volunteering is an honored tradition. Volunteers are needed to perform vital work everywhere, including inside and outside of state courts.
Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASAs) who serve abused or neglected children are an example of volunteer work within state courts. Volunteers gather information about each case by spending time with each child, visiting their school, checking in with service providers, and visiting relatives to provide the court with the necessary information to help each child. Judges appoint CASAs to advocate for children’s best interests and are with them until the case is closed.
Case advocate volunteers are needed in Richmond and Henrico counties in Virginia. They have 90 CASAs and are recruiting 20 more. County officials cite retention and training time as hurdles in addressing the shortage of volunteers but are working to overcome these challenges so that every child has a CASA.
CASA of Central Oregon, a group supporting children in foster care, needs dozens more volunteers as 40 children are waiting. Recently, a group of 19 CASAs were sworn in but vacancies remain. CASA Executive Director Heather Dion said, “These children have experienced profound abuse and neglect, and they really could use a caring adult to be on their side.”
Alexandria and Arlington counties in northern Virginia need more bilingual volunteer CASAs to work in family court. CASAs in the Stop Child Abuse Now (SCAN) program are appointed to communicate with children and their families in the language in which they feel most comfortable. Eileen Wallace, a volunteer, says: “You don’t get many opportunities to do something valuable all the time. I love it. You get these delightful shocks of joy, and you witness humanity at its best.”
Jefferson County, Texas has sworn in three new volunteers for their CASA program. New volunteers successfully completed over 30 hours of training to qualify as CASAs.
Volunteering also works in the other direction. Research from the Mayo Clinic asserts that volunteering offers significant health benefits especially for older adults by:
- Improving physical and mental health and the chemical release of dopamine in the body to help reduce stress
- Providing a sense of purpose and learning valuable skills while giving their time and effort
- Nurturing new and existing relationships by increasing social interaction and building a support system
Volunteering works for good both ways when court staff volunteer their time and effort to help their own community. The North Carolina Business Court in Raleigh signed up to volunteer at the Second Harvest Foodbank warehouse. Judge Robinson said: “Volunteering connects us to the places we live and reminds us how fortunate we are. Plus, a change of scenery keeps us refreshed during our workweek.”
Is your court looking for volunteers or encouraging its employees to give back? Email us at Knowledge@ncsc.org or call 800-616-6164 and let us know. Follow the National Center for State Courts on Facebook, X, LinkedIn, and Vimeo. For more Trending Topic posts, visit ncsc.org/trendingtopics or subscribe to the LinkedIn newsletter.