CASA

BE A POWERFUL VOICE

I’m a proud heart mom! I carried Halle-Grace in my heart vs. my tummy! Being a mother is the MOST rewarding job and the best title I will ever have!

Many of you have read and can probably recite our adoption story word for word. We had a multitude of twists and turns, but the JOY of the Journey is what I choose to focus on and want to share with everyone I meet as Mrs. International.

After adopting Halle-Grace, I couldn’t just stop advocating for orphans/children in foster care because I truly believe that every child deserves a loving and permanent home! After Halle-Grace came home, I couldn’t help but think about all of the children languishing in orphanages and in the foster care system. Many children are not eligible for adoption; however, they all need your VOICE! I saw a need, and I took action! I contacted the National Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) office and within weeks, I was sitting in training classes to become a Court Appointed Special Advocate/ Guardian Ad Litem (GAL).

For privacy reasons, this is about the only photo I can share. Sorry you can’t see my adorable kiddos who are SO very special!

Based on the confidentiality of the cases, I obviously cannot share any details on a weekly basis. There are many things that I do to support my platform that cannot be shared publicly, however, as I have said many times, “Being the best Mrs. International is not measured by the number of photos you take in your crown and banner... what it’s about…is a job of service. It’s about changing lives, saving lives, and ensuring children, just like Halle-Grace, are placed in a forever family.” Being Mrs. International is work from the heart!

GAL volunteers are appointed by judges to visit with, and advocate for, abused and neglected children, to make sure they don’t get lost in the overburdened legal and social service system or languish in inappropriate settings. As a Guardian, I stay with each case I’m assigned to until the child (or in many cases children) get placed in a safe, permanent home. Sadly, for many of these children, court appointed guardians might be the one constant adult presence in their lives! Independent research has demonstrated that children with a guardian are substantially less likely to spend time in long-term foster care and less likely to reenter the system.

Consider contacting the National CASA office, use the voice God gave you to help a child! http://www.casaforchildren.org/

Shannon Devine

More information from the National Website….

Who Are CASA Volunteers? MRS. INTERNATIONAL 2010, Shannon Devine and countless others who SPEAK for those who can’t.

Last year, more than 70,900 CASA and guardian ad litem (GAL) volunteers helped 237,000 abused and neglected children find safe, permanent homes. CASA volunteers are everyday citizens who have undergone screening and training with their local CASA/GAL program.

Who Are the Children CASA Volunteer Help? Judges appoint CASA volunteers to represent the best interests of children who have been removed from their homes due to abuse or neglect. Each year, more than 780,000 children experience foster care in this country. Because there are not enough CASA volunteers to represent all of the children in care, judges typically assign CASA volunteers to their most difficult cases.

How Did the CASA Movement Begin? In 1977, a Seattle juvenile court judge concerned about making drastic decisions with insufficient information conceived the idea of citizen volunteers speaking up for the best interests of abused and neglected children in the courtroom. From that first program has grown a network of more than 1,000 CASA and guardian ad litem program offices that are recruiting, training and supporting volunteers in 49 states.

How Is CASA Funded? The primary source of National CASA's funding is the federal government, through the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). Additional support comes from Jewelers for Children, individuals and other private funders.