News you can use
News you can use
Seeking volunteers to help children in need
Press release
CASA of Hill County teams up with the Montana Children’s Trust Fund during Strengthening Families Month to promote the safety and well-being of Montana’s kids and the value of child abuse prevention.
CASA of Hill County, Court Appointed Special Advocates, will kick off April by planting Blue Pinwheels at the Hill County Courthouse. Pinwheels will also be placed at local churches and businesses during the month.
“The blue pinwheels remind us of happy childhoods and healthy families — we can strengthen families in a time of need by utilizing the community resources we have in place,” a release from CASA of Hill County said.
Pinwheels are sponsored by Montana Children’s Trust Fund and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Montana.
A Court Appointed Special Advocate — a CASA — is a member of the community who is appointed by the judge to serve a child who has been abuse or neglected and removed from their parents. They investigate the situation and advocate for the child’s needs, always with the child’s best interest in mind. By focusing on one child at a time, the CASA Volunteer can provide information about a specific child which is often missing in the courtroom.
CASA of Hill County is a non-profit organization that trains volunteers to serve children in the Twelfth Judicial District — Hill, Chouteau and Liberty counties. The program can only serve children when volunteers are available. Most often it is short of volunteers to advocate for all the children — and asks people to consider completing the application. Training can begin as soon as CASA of Hill County receives an application, which can be found at the website http://www.CASAofHillCounty.org or by calling the CASA office at 265-6743 x1145.
In 2021, the volunteers served 35 local children who had been removed from their homes due to abuse and neglect. CASA of Hill County only has 10 volunteer advocates to serve the children.
“We need more volunteers so the children don’t have to wait for an advocate or go without completely,” the release said. “No previous experience is required — you just need common sense and a passion for seeking justice for the most vulnerable members of our community. CASA provides free of charge a five-session pre-service (virtual/inperson) training course which provides a solid foundation from which to begin to serve abused and neglected children in our courts and in our community.”
People can keep up to date with CASA of Hill County-Montana on Facebook for Strengthening Families activities at https://www.facebook.com/CASAofHillCounty .
Activities during April include:
April 8th — Coffee with CASA, 8:30-9:30 a.m., Fifth Avenue Grind. People can stop by to visit about CASA and what it does, grab an application and a coffee.
April 11 - 1: p.m., CASA Virtual Informational Session, people can contact the CASA office for a Zoom invite link and learn how they can become a Court Appointed Special Advocate volunteer. Email [email protected] for for the link.
April 12-14 — CASA office closed to attend the Montana Prevent Child Abuse and Neglect Conference.
April 14 — CASA of Hill County will have a fundraiser at Taco John’s from 5-7 p.m. in the drive through. Mention the fundraiser and 50% of the order will go to CASA.
April 20 — At 7 p.m. a CASA Informational Session will be held in the CASA office at HRDC, 2229 Fifth Ave., Suite 145, north door. People can join CASA staff in the office to learn what CASAs do and how to become a Court Appointed Special Advocate volunteer.
April 24th — Blue Sunday, A day where churches pray for the millions of victims of child abuse and for those who rescue them. Pray children will be rescued; pray they are placed with caring people; pray their minds and bodies can heal; pray they find hope; and pray for those who rescue them.
For more information on becoming a CASA volunteer and Child Abuse Prevention Month, people can contact Executive Director Chamene Plum at 406-265-6743 ext.1145.
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