Having completed 30 hours of classroom training and approximately three hours of court observation, nine volunteers will officially be able to help abused or neglected children in foster care.
Judge Robert Kershaw recently swore in the following individuals as Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASAs): Stephanie Crumb of Parkville; Edson DePina of West Baltimore; Marva Gaffney of Gwynn Oak; Lovetie Gbalazeh of Rosedale; Gwendolyn Love of Randallstown; Bryan McLain of Station North; Salome Sullivan of Hamilton;
Rebecca Woestman of Pen Lucy; and Flori Yellin of Little Italy.
“CASA of Baltimore is determined to increase the number of youths we serve this year and these new volunteers will help us reach our goals,” said Susan Burger, executive director for CASA of Baltimore, Inc.
The newest group of CASAs includes college students, working professionals and a stay-at-home mom. They bring their own individual strengths to CASA of Baltimore, but all have the same goal in mind.
“After seeing some of the conditions my peers lived in while attending grade and high school, I decided that my personal and professional life would be dedicated to improving the lives of underprivileged youths,” said Crumb, who is double majoring at Towson University in psychology and family studies, on the Services to Children and Youth track
Love, the mother of a grown daughter, said she was inspired to become a CASA volunteer by the Albert Pine quote: ”What we do for ourselves dies with us, what we do for others in the world remains and is immortal.”
No special experience is required to become a CASA volunteer; training and supervision are provided by professional staff. For more information about volunteer opportunities with CASA of Baltimore, Inc., call 410-244-1465 or visit: www.casabalt.org.