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CASA- where ordinary folks make a difference

It’s one of those priceless moments in film: In the saddle, crusty old Curly (Jack Palance) turns to wise-cracking Mitch (Billy Crystal) and asks: “Do you know what the secret of life is?” A wry grin on Curly’s weather-beaten face. “No. What?” Mitch quietly responds. “This” says Curly, holding up one finger. “Your finger?” puzzles Mitch. “One thing. Just one thing,” Curly replies.

“Just one thing” to change the world. “Just one thing” to make life worth living. “Just one thing” that makes everything else “click.”

April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month. It is a time when folks who work with and for abused and neglected children try to raise awareness and draw attention to the tragedy of child abuse. Too often we simply cite statistics. We write about how many children are abused and neglected, how many children are in foster care, how many children are bound to continue the cycle of abuse and neglect when they become parents.

The truth is there really is “One thing, just one thing”: The child. That one child who is abused; who has to navigate an environment filled with threats; who has never known complete safety; who cares for all her siblings, and who too often has to care for the parent who won’t care for her; who is teased and bullied at school because the only clothes fit to wear don’t fit him; who has taken to heart the threats that, if she tells “our secret,” she will “break up our family,” as if that is family.

There really is “just one thing” for you to keep in mind: One child who deserves a safe, permanent, nurturing home.

What can you do for that one child who deserves better?

Mentor kids in your neighborhood: The single most powerful factor to creating resilience in a child is the presence of an interested adult.

Mentor new parents or just offer support, like occasional babysitting: The factor in most abuse and neglect cases is lack of skills, not lack of concern.

Volunteer for a local organization which serves kids: More adults involved in that child’s life, the sooner we can catch trouble before it becomes a crisis.

Report when you suspect a child may be neglected or abused by calling 866-820-KIDS, 866-820-5437: It is OUR problem when that one child is abused.

Become a Court Appointed Special Advocate, or CASA.

CASA is an excellent opportunity for ordinary folks to powerfully impact that one child. We are teachers, nurses, farmers and administrators, some retired, some still working. We complete a 30-hour comprehensive pre-service training course — half online, half in person — which gives us the skills to advocate effectively for that one child. We see that child monthly and report to the court how she is doing.

All told, we invest 5 to 10 hours each month in service to that child … to change one life. Because we do, that child is more likely to find a forever home and is less likely to come back into care. She will be more likely to pass all of her classes. He will be far less likely to experience discipline problems as he continues his education.

I am for the child. I am for that one child. But I am not alone. I work with other CASA Volunteer-Advocates who are for the child. And we work with social workers, therapists, teachers, judges, lawyers, administrators, police officers and many, many more all working for that one child.

Become a CASA. Become a mentor. Become a volunteer. What will you do to serve that one child? Well, as Curly said, “That’s what you gotta figure out.”

(Mark Douglass is executive director of CASA of Hill County, serving Hill, Liberty, Chouteau, Blaine, Phillips and Valley counties. For more information, or to join CASA’s next preservice training class starting May 11, call 265-6743 or email [email protected].)

 

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