CASA program for foster children to get a boost at June 10 event
By Tom Kirvan
Legal News
The numbers are staggering – and not in a good way.
Of the more than 317,000 children in Oakland County, nearly 31,000 will be sexually abused before they turn 18.
That eye-opening statistic, of course, doesn’t begin to describe the aftershocks that children experience from the abuse, which in many respects is among a host of other daunting challenges that they face on a daily basis.
Hence the need for a heightened awareness of community efforts to combat the child abuse problem, highlighting the efforts of CARE House of Oakland County, the sole children’s advocacy center in Michigan’s second most populous county.
On the evening of Monday, June 10 at the Birmingham Pub, CARE House of Oakland County will stage a fund-raiser to showcase its CASA program in hopes of bolstering its volunteer ranks, according to Director Brenda Baker-Mbacké.
CASA, which is short for Court Appointed Special Advocate, stands for a team of volunteers appointed by the court to “advocate for the best interests of children in foster care,” Baker-Mbacké explained.
“CASAs are volunteers who work with legal and child welfare professionals, educators, and service providers to ensure that the court has all the information they need to make the most well-informed decisions for each child,” Baker-Mbacké indicated. “For many of the children we work with, their Advocate will be the one constant in an otherwise chaotic life. The CASA helps ensure that children are safe and have the opportunity to thrive.”
Baker-Mbacké, a Detroit Kettering product who holds bachelor and master degrees from Marygrove College, has served as director of the CASA program for the past 6-1/2 years and said that there is an urgent need to recruit more volunteers to assist child abuse victims.
“As more children suffer from sexual abuse, so does the need to have an equal number of CASA volunteers to help them,” said Baker-Mbacké, who previously worked with the Michigan Supreme Court as a Program Representative for the Foster Care Review Board. “Ideally, we would like to have a CASA volunteer for every child sexual abuse case in Oakland County and that, unfortunately, is in the hundreds at any given time.”
Volunteers, who must be 21 years of age or older, must pass a background check before undergoing a minimum of 30 hours of specialized training in assisting child abuse victims, according to Baker-Mbacké.
“Volunteers also need to have flexibility in their schedule to represent/ accompany children to their various court appearances until their case is closed,” Baker-Mbacké said. “It takes a special person to become a CASA volunteer – someone who wants to make a difference in the life of a child who needs an adult they can trust and rely on as they go through a very challenging time. We are looking for people who are generous with their time and have a willingness to help some of the most vulnerable members of our community.”
The theme for the June 10 event is “CARE-ing for CASA,” in hopes of providing “A Voice for Every Child” in the Oakland County court system, Baker-Mbacké said of the fund-raiser that will run from 6-9 p.m. at the Birmingham Pub, 555 South Old Woodward.
“It’s our first fund-raiser for CASA and it is meant to raise program awareness during an evening that will feature music, food, and fun,” said Baker-Mbacké, who noted that Jeana Asmaro and Nikki Braddock are serving as chairs of event.
Tickets cost $100 per person, a price that includes food, two drink tickets, and a raffle ticket. Sponsorship opportunities also are available, ranging from $250 to $5,000.
Event tickets are available via care house.org, while more information about the CASA program can be obtained by visiting www.casa oakland county.org.
Legal News
The numbers are staggering – and not in a good way.
Of the more than 317,000 children in Oakland County, nearly 31,000 will be sexually abused before they turn 18.
That eye-opening statistic, of course, doesn’t begin to describe the aftershocks that children experience from the abuse, which in many respects is among a host of other daunting challenges that they face on a daily basis.
Hence the need for a heightened awareness of community efforts to combat the child abuse problem, highlighting the efforts of CARE House of Oakland County, the sole children’s advocacy center in Michigan’s second most populous county.
On the evening of Monday, June 10 at the Birmingham Pub, CARE House of Oakland County will stage a fund-raiser to showcase its CASA program in hopes of bolstering its volunteer ranks, according to Director Brenda Baker-Mbacké.
CASA, which is short for Court Appointed Special Advocate, stands for a team of volunteers appointed by the court to “advocate for the best interests of children in foster care,” Baker-Mbacké explained.
“CASAs are volunteers who work with legal and child welfare professionals, educators, and service providers to ensure that the court has all the information they need to make the most well-informed decisions for each child,” Baker-Mbacké indicated. “For many of the children we work with, their Advocate will be the one constant in an otherwise chaotic life. The CASA helps ensure that children are safe and have the opportunity to thrive.”
Baker-Mbacké, a Detroit Kettering product who holds bachelor and master degrees from Marygrove College, has served as director of the CASA program for the past 6-1/2 years and said that there is an urgent need to recruit more volunteers to assist child abuse victims.
“As more children suffer from sexual abuse, so does the need to have an equal number of CASA volunteers to help them,” said Baker-Mbacké, who previously worked with the Michigan Supreme Court as a Program Representative for the Foster Care Review Board. “Ideally, we would like to have a CASA volunteer for every child sexual abuse case in Oakland County and that, unfortunately, is in the hundreds at any given time.”
Volunteers, who must be 21 years of age or older, must pass a background check before undergoing a minimum of 30 hours of specialized training in assisting child abuse victims, according to Baker-Mbacké.
“Volunteers also need to have flexibility in their schedule to represent/ accompany children to their various court appearances until their case is closed,” Baker-Mbacké said. “It takes a special person to become a CASA volunteer – someone who wants to make a difference in the life of a child who needs an adult they can trust and rely on as they go through a very challenging time. We are looking for people who are generous with their time and have a willingness to help some of the most vulnerable members of our community.”
The theme for the June 10 event is “CARE-ing for CASA,” in hopes of providing “A Voice for Every Child” in the Oakland County court system, Baker-Mbacké said of the fund-raiser that will run from 6-9 p.m. at the Birmingham Pub, 555 South Old Woodward.
“It’s our first fund-raiser for CASA and it is meant to raise program awareness during an evening that will feature music, food, and fun,” said Baker-Mbacké, who noted that Jeana Asmaro and Nikki Braddock are serving as chairs of event.
Tickets cost $100 per person, a price that includes food, two drink tickets, and a raffle ticket. Sponsorship opportunities also are available, ranging from $250 to $5,000.
Event tickets are available via care house.org, while more information about the CASA program can be obtained by visiting www.casa oakland county.org.
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