CASA to hold education session in South Orange

SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — CASA for Children of Essex County will host an information session at the South Orange Public Library, 65 Scotland Road, on Tuesday, Aug. 16, at 6:30 p.m. for citizens interested in learning more about advocating for children in foster care. CASA volunteer advocates are appointed by the Family Court to gather information about a child’s needs while in foster care and to represent a “child’s voice in court.”

“Information meetings like the one we’ll be hosting in South Orange are great opportunities to answer the community’s questions about CASA and the role of the volunteer advocate,” CASA Volunteer Director Carol Costello said in a release. “Attendees will have an opportunity to meet some local volunteers to get their perspective.”

Last year, CASA advocated for nearly 30 percent of the children in foster care in Essex County. Even with an increase in volunteers, there are more than 1,500 children in need of this same support a CASA advocate can provide to a foster care case. CASA for Children of Essex County is actively seeking additional volunteers to help close this gap.

For more information on the meeting or to RSVP, contact Katie Rickard at 973-622-4831 or krickard@casaessex.org. For more about Essex CASA, visit www.casaessex.org.

  CASA, South Orange Public Library