The Daily Sentinel
December 12, 2006
by Emily Taravella

This time last year, local citizens were working to get a Court Appointed Special Advocate program up and running to help abused and neglected children in Nacogdoches County.

Tuesday night, many of those same citizens celebrated the fact that CASA of Deep East Texas is fully operational, with a board of directors, an executive director, 13 volunteers and three active cases.

"It has been a wonderful year," board president Claudia Whitley told the crowd of supporters gathered at the Hardeman House. "Now, the challenge will be sustaining for the next 12 months."

Whitley said many grants require an organization to have been in existence for a full year before applications for funding can be submitted.

"There are some things on the horizon for us, but we need to keep this alive for the next year," she said.

Whitley said Nacogdoches County currently has 67 children in foster care, and each of those children is in need of their own court-appointed special advocate. Advocates are trained to work closely with the children, and testify in court as to what they believe to be in the children's best interests.

"We have a training class starting in January or February," Whitley said. "We really need volunteers."

District Judge Ed Klein asked each of those in attendance to imagine what it would be like if they had an attorney, or a financial advisor, who was there to serve them alone.

"What if you were the sole focus of what they did?" he said. "Imagine what that would be like."

Klein said probation officers and prosecutors have hundreds of cases to which they devote their attention.

"But each CASA volunteer has one case," he said. "Each CASA volunteer provides us with the most valuable thing we can have — which is information. Information is the only way we can exercise judicial discretion wisely. Having CASAs can only improve cases in Nacogdoches."

Klein said this first year for CASA of Deep East Texas is critical, and he encouraged program supporters to spread the word about what CASA is seeking to accomplish here.

District Judge Campbell Cox said those in the justice system work with children in horrendous situations and nightmare scenarios.

He recalled a night in the 1980s when he rode along with a sheriff's deputy who responded to a call at a small mobile home.

"The door had been knocked off the hinges," he said. "Inside, there was a mother with two boys, and the deputy had a feeling that something bad had happened there."

The deputy asked the boys if anything had happened to them, and they said, "No."

Then, he asked them to raise their shirts and show them their backs. Again, they said, "No."

The deputy asked the boys a second time, to raise their shirts. As they did what he asked them to do, they begged the deputy not to take their father to jail.

"The whip marks on their backs, looked like photographs I've seen of what was done to the slaves," Cox said. "I've never been able to get that out of my mind."

But because he hasn't been able to get it out of his mind, Cox said it serves as a constant reminder to him of the work that CASAs do, advocating for children.

Cox also noted, looking out at the crowd that filled the Hardeman House, that the program obviously has a strong support network in Nacogdoches.

"I had no idea how many would be here tonight," he said. "It is heartwarming to see how many are here to express caring for the kids in our community. CASA offers an extra set of eyes and ears, but it also adds heart."

Andrea Sparks, of Texas CASA in Austin, said the idea to begin a chapter in Nacogdoches was born 18 months ago. She said key people, such as the judges, Tonya Harry of CPS and Kathi Stalnaker, also of CPS, helped to make it a reality.

She presented some of these people with books about CASA, and she also gave Executive Director Rebecca Carlton a coffee mug.

"She will need this, as she burns the midnight oil," Sparks said. "This is not a 40-hour-a-week job."

Holly Doggett, Texas CASA development director, said there are many who would like to volunteer for CASA — but the time may not be right for them for one reason or another.

"If you would like to play a roll, donate," she said. "One hundred percent of the funds raised in Nacogdoches, stay in Nacogdoches."

Cindy Robertson, board vice president, said the blue ribbons worn by volunteers and board members represented something significant.

"There was a grandmother who lost her 2-year-old granddaughter, after her daughter's boyfriend beat the child to death," Robertson said. "The blue ribbons represent the blue bruises on the woman's granddaughter. The grandmother put blue ribbons on her car, and since that time the blue ribbon has represented child abuse awareness."

April is Child Abuse Prevention Month, and Carlton said events will be planned during that month to raise awareness.

Sue Beavers, one of the volunteers, thanked the judges and the board for laying the foundation for CASA.

"Rebecca is fantastic," she said of Carlton. "She told us exactly what we're expected to do. She's great."

Tory Free, a member of the Pilot Club, presented Carlton with a check for $250.

"We think CASA is very deserving of our support," she said.

Whitley said supporters can help with their money, their time and their verbal support.

For information about CASA, contact Carlton at 560-4711.

---------

Emily Taravella's e-mail address is etaravella@coxnews.com.

http://www.dailysentinel.com/news/content/news/stories/2006/12/13/13/feat_12_13_CASA.html