Volunteer your time to help foster children

Letters

Discussion

August 8, 2012

Volunteer your time to help foster children

Anonymous The Union-Recorder The Union-Recorder Wed Aug 08, 2012, 08:00 AM EDT

MILLEDGEVILLE — Right here in our community, there are abused and neglected children who live in the shadows of our lives. She may be the little girl in your son’s kindergarten class who had to move homes and change schools three or four times in the last year. He may be the lonely child at the park who doesn’t join the game.

The foster care and child welfare system is full of compassionate lawyers, judges, social workers and foster families, but according to recent statistics each year, more than 660,000 children are placed in foster care nationally. This intense need can strain the system to the point where they are simply unable to protect the rights of each child.

So the little girl who has already suffered in an abusive home enters the foster care system, which places her in three or four different homes in just a few months. Or the two siblings who lost their mother to incarceration are split up and live on different sides of the same county.

This isn’t just a problem; it is nothing short of a violation of their human rights. A child cannot defend his or her own rights, but a CASA volunteer can!

Ocmulgee CASA is a national nonprofit organization which trains and supports volunteers — people like you and me in this judicial circuit — to speak and act as advocates for the best interests of abused and neglected children. They are trained to work within the child welfare and family court systems and are appointed by judges to individual cases. With the help of a CASA volunteer, a child is half as likely to languish in the foster care system and that much more likely to find a safe and permanent home.

But today, only 36 percent of the children in need have access to a CASA volunteer. That’s nearly 400,000 children who don’t have that advocate. We are dedicated to ensuring that every child in the foster care and child welfare system has a qualified CASA volunteer looking out for their best interests. To do this, we need to more than double the 75,000 current CASA volunteers in 950 local offices nationwide

Every child has a right to thrive, to be treated with dignity and to live in a safe, loving home. Every child deserves a fighting chance.

Once grown, these former foster kids could be our future doctors, teachers and leaders. Coming through a period of vulnerability and fear, the child can then understand his potential and his rights. She will believe in herself. That is our opportunity and our challenge.

I invite the people of Baldwin County to stand up with me and support these children. Donate or more importantly become an advocate for abused children. Go to www.ocmulgeecasa

.org or call (478) 452-9170 to learn more.

Sammy Hall

Lori Muggridge

Elaine Odom

Milledgeville

Text Only

Letters

GC students hope to reform education in low-performing communities
Georgia College senior Audrey Smith’s belief in the ‘American dream’ has inspired her to help young citizens realize that dream through the power of education.

March 13, 2013 1 Photo
Tea Party Patriots urge end to fear-mongering over cuts

The Milledgeville Area Patriots chapter of Tea Party Patriots, the nation’s largest tea party organization, are calling on our Congressman and Senator’s to uphold the sequestration law passed by Congress and signed by the President.

February 27, 2013
Position Statement on Amendment 2
Amendment 2, which will be voted on in the upcoming election, is an important issue that has received very little attention.

November 3, 2012
ORMC attempts to put ‘Bed Tax’ rumors to rest
Recently, information has been circulated in the community claiming that Rep. Rusty Kidd voted to tax people when they are sick or injured and need to visit the hospital.

October 31, 2012
Shocked at statements made by Paul Broun
I was astounded when I read your article about our Congressman Paul Broun (a Republican) in the Oct. 18 edition of The Union-Recorder.

October 27, 2012
Help defeat charter school amendment
We soundly defeated the T-Splost in Baldwin County.

October 20, 2012
Thank you to superintendent, Board of Education
Thank you to School Superintendent Geneva Brezial and the Board of Education.

October 6, 2012
Fire trucks too important not to replace
At last week’s Baldwin County Commission meeting, county Fire Chief Troy Reynolds presented a detailed report to the commissioners about major fire equipment operated by Baldwin County.

September 29, 2012
Thanks for giving support in Digital Bridges service
Digital Bridges is a phenomenal service provided by very technically awesome people to everyone in Milledgeville.

September 26, 2012
Thank you for donations to annual Kids Day
We would like to give a thank you to the following local business for the donations for the Community Kids Day in remembrance of the victims during the 9/11 tragedy, keeping their spirit alive

September 22, 2012
More Letters Headlines

Letters

Search Results

Discussion

Volunteer your time to help foster children

Site Map

Contact Us