LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — More than 3,000 children are in foster care in the Las Vegas valley and each of them needs a Court Appointed Special Advocate — CASA, for short.
A group of 11 new volunteers was sworn in on Monday and will help 19 children here in the valley. They bring the total number of CASA volunteers to 475 but there still are about 2,000 children that need help.
A CASA’s main goal is to advocate for what’s best for the children at school and in the courtroom while helping them navigate the foster care system.
“A lot of our kids have nobody to call. But now they know they have you and you’re going to show up,” explained Judge Margaret Pickard, Eighth Judicial District Court, during their swearing-in ceremony. “I have literally seen in court where we have a kiddo come in and their CASA comes in and their face lights up because they have their rock that’s coming to the courtroom with them.”
Michael Rahhal is one of the 11 new volunteers. He’s a Las Vegas Strip performer at Caesars Palace as a host in the show “Absinthe” and will volunteer during his time off.
“I was just looking for an opportunity to make all that time mean something,” Rahhal said. “The opportunity you have is to get in there and make that experience just a little bit less painful and maybe just a little bit less confusing.”
Charlie Dawn Olson was first a CASA volunteer in 2017 and is now back giving her time to the program and children.
“All children are worthy of love and to have someone care about them. If I can give a piece of my heart, help a child to gain hope and believe in them so that they can one day believe in themselves, then any amount of time is worth it to make a difference in the life of a child,” Olson said.
Judge Pickard said CASAs have a lot of say in her courtroom. “That’s a voice that speaks loud in the courtroom and it’s vital to hear from those individuals,” she said.
The CASA program, which is part of the Family Division of the Eighth Judicial Court, recruits, screens, trains, and supports volunteers. Every volunteer goes through a five-week training program before graduating from the program and becoming a CASA volunteer.
Volunteering for the program involves a two-year commitment and a willingness to spend quality time with the children to advocate for them. For more information: http://casalasvegas.org/