Eleven community members became CASA volunteers on Tuesday  

Eleven Court Appointed Special Advocates (or CASA volunteers) were sworn in as officers of the court by 4th Judicial District Judge Catherine Mitchell Helton at the El Paso County Courthouse on Tuesday.  

The swearing-in ceremony was the final step taken after two weeks of training which covered topics like trauma, resiliency, poverty, mental health, substance abuse, and domestic violence. The new volunteers will now be assigned to an open Dependency & Neglect case within the 4th Judicial District and will advocate for the best interest of an abused or neglected child.  

There are about 800 kids in El Paso and Teller Counties who need a CASA volunteer each year due to abuse or neglect. These are children who are involved in the family court and child welfare systems due to being mistreated by people who are supposed to take care of them. 

Last year, CASA of the Pikes Peak Region had 376 volunteers who advocated for 657 children. More volunteers are needed to provide this life-changing advocacy to every child in need.  

Anyone who wants to make a difference for a child in this capacity can learn more about becoming a CASA volunteer at one of the nonprofit’s December Volunteer Information Sessions:  

• In-person Volunteer Info Session at CASA on Wednesday, Dec. 4 from 12-1 

• Virtual Volunteer Info Session over Zoom on Saturday, Dec. 14 from 10-11  

• Virtual Volunteer Info Session over Zoom on Wednesday, Dec. 18 from 5:30-6:30 

RSVP to any CASA Volunteer Information Session here: www.casappr.org/volunteer. 

Congratulations new advocates Aaron Boerendonk, Haelli Cannon, Maddox Cotter, Karen Darilek, Larissa Decola, Charles Jackson, Deborah Moses, Amparo Rodriguez, Joan Silva, Lisa Velasquez, and Stephen Woodward