Information sessions set about volunteering as CASAs

Every child deserves a compassionate, dedicated adult to stand by them and speak up for them.

Passaic County Court Appointed Special Advocates need volunteers who are able to be that person for the most vulnerable population: children in foster care.

In the county, there are more than 300 children, from newborns to teenagers, who are in foster care, waiting for a volunteer, called a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA), to be their voice.

CASAs work one on one with an abused or neglected child, advocating for their needs and gathering information from the family, caretakers, teachers, doctors and caseworkers to make informed recommendations to the Family Court about the child’s future.

Volunteers do not need specific background, training or education to become a CASA; all training and resources are provided through 36 hours of pre-service training and ongoing continuing education.

“The training provided is informative and enjoyable,” said CASA Candace Eardley of Totowa. “The feeling of having helped a child, even in some small way, is indescribable.”

The first step to becoming a CASA is to attend a volunteer information session. Upcoming sessions:

Thursday, March 16 at 5:30 p.m.

Saturday, April 1 at 10 a.m.

Tuesday, April 4 at 10 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.

All information sessions are at the Passaic County CASA office, 415 Hamburg Turnpike, Suite D2, Wayne.

For information about the volunteer program, go online to www.passaiccountycasa.org or send e-mail to Sasha Lowery at sasha@passaiccountycasa.org

To sign up for an informational session, go to https://www.passaiccountycasa.org/getting-started or call 973-832-4002.