Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 2C
THE JACKSON HERALD
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 3, 2010
Piedmont CASA
awarded grant
PIEDMONT CourtAppointed
Special Advocate (CASA)
has been awarded a $10,022
grant by the Jackson EMC
Foundation to recruit and train
the community volunteers who
serve as advocates in Juvenile
Court for children in the foster
care system.
“CASA volunteers work with
a child the entire time that child
is in foster care, providing stabil
ity for the child and advocating
for a permanent home,” explains
executive director Annette
Raymond. “These volunteers
provide a voice in court for the
child. They get to know their
child and gather information by
informally assessing home envi
ronments, meeting with family
members and foster parents, as
well as DFCS, school and other
agency representatives.”
About 200 children come into
foster care during the course of
any year in the three-county area
- Barrow, Jackson and Banks
counties - served by Piedmont
GRANT GOES TO CASA
Piedmont CASA Advisory Board member Judge Kevin Guidry joins CASA Executive
Director Annette Raymond and staff members Rebecca Boles and Jackie Love in
accepting a Jackson EMC Foundation grant check from Foundation board vice
president Shade Storey and Jackson EMC Jefferson District Manager Don Stewart.
Grant funds will be used to recruit and train CASA volunteers to represent the inter
ests of children in the foster care system in Juvenile Court.
CASA. Grant funds will be used
to recruit and train about 20 new
CASA volunteers to help serve
those children.
Jackson EMC members
fund foundation grants by hav
ing their monthly electric bills
rounded up to the next dollar
amount. Since October 2005,
this “spare change” has fund
ed 384 grants to organizations
and 153 grants to individuals,
putting more than $4.2 million
back into local communities.
Applications are avail
able online at www.jack-
sonemc.com/Guidelines-
for-Funding,106.0.html or
at local Jackson EMC offic
es. Applicants do not need to be
a member of Jackson EMC.
birth announcements
Coleman James Balkcom
Allen and Rhonda Balkcom, Jefferson,
announce the birth of a son, Coleman James
Balkcom, Jan. 19, 2010, at Gwinnett Medical
Center, Lawrenceville.
He joins two siblings, Shelby, 6, and Karly, 4.
The grandparents are Mike and Donna Brooks,
Loganville, Peggy Elliott, Jefferson and Wayne
Balkcom, Blakely.
The great-grandparents are Shirley Wilson, BALKCOM
Loganville, and the late Robert Wilson; W.L. Brooks, Loganville, and
the late Alene Brooks; Ralph Balkcom, Blakely, and the late Evelyn
Balkcom; and Melvin and Laura Huish, Brevard, N.C.
Zachary Orion Shuman
Jonathan Shuman and Jessica Wilson,
Talmo, announce the birth of a son,
Zachary Orion Shuman, on Jan. 24, 2010,
at Northeast Georgia Medical Center,
Gainesville.
He weighed 6 pounds, 10 ounces, and
was 18 inches long.
He joins a brother, Russell Shuman, 20,
and a sister, Alexandra Shuman, 18.
The grandparents are Mitchell Wilson and Renee Wilson,
Hoschton, and Hazel Shuman, Gainesville, and the late Jesse
Shuman.
The great-grandparents are Vivian Wilson, Hoschton, and
Billy and Jackie Wilson, Loganville.
/
SHUMAN
CASA story continued from page 1C
unteers range in age from 23
to 78.
“The next training starts
Tuesday, April 6, at 6 p.m. and
runs each Tuesday through May
18. Prospective volunteers need
to pass a criminal background
check and be fingerprinted and
be 21 years of age.”
Volunteers advocate for the
child in Juvenile Court by a writ
ten report to the judge about what
is happening with the child and
their family, Raymond added.
“The volunteer also makes
recommendations to the judge
about what the child needs,” she
said. “They also advocate for
the child in other areas like at
school. CASA volunteers really
like working with these kids, as
it gives them such a sense of ful
fillment and the knowledge that
they are helping children who
truly need an adult looking out
for them.”
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
Lisa said she begins a case
by reviewing all the files and
information and visiting with the
child.
“There are so many different
aspects that have to be addressed
immediately - review DFCS
file, visit child, prepare reports,
etc.,” she said. “The great thing is
there is always a supervisor avail
able to assist you when needed.
I have attended hearings with
older children and played in the
floor with a younger child. The
main thing I do is make sure the
child is in a safe and secure envi
ronment. CASAs are like fact
gathers. We go out and gather all
the information we can and then
turn it over to the court system to
assess. This helps out some of
the other organizations because
they usually have 30 to 40 cases
at a time where a CASA would
only have one or two.”
On average, Lisa said, a CASA
volunteer will work three to 10
hours a month, with each case
varying in hours.
“You are able to set your
own schedule for visits and file
reviews,” she said. “In addition
to that you do attend hearings set
by the court.”
“Being a CASA is definitely
a gift,” Lisa added. “Knowing
that I can help change the path
of a child is worth every minute
I worked on reports, attended
hearings, showed up for visits. I
have been blessed to see two of
my three cases have very happy
endings. We go through life
wishing we could make a differ
ence. That is no longer a wish
for me. I can say I have made a
difference. “
SPEAKING OUT
FORJACKE
Jacke’s case is a specific
example of Lisa as a CASA
volunteer being able to make a
positive impact.
“Jacke's case was tough in
that she did not have any fam
ily capable of caring for her,”
Lisa added. “She was placed
into a foster family that had
several foster kids. By taking
time to talk with Jacke and
really get to know her, I was
able to find out about a family
that had been supportive of
her in the past. I was able to
put my training into action by
doing a home assessment on
the family and interviewing
each adult. I was able to rec
ommend Jacke be placed with
this family instead of foster
care. Although DFCS can't go
this route, the court can and in
Jacke's case did.”
Jacke agrees that Lisa was
able to make her wishes heard,
both in and out of court.
“With me being 13, no one
would have listened to what I
wanted if I did not have some
one to advocate for me,” Jacke
said. “I had no idea where
to even start telling the judge
what I wanted and why it
would be an approved envi
ronment for me. My CASA
worker came to visit me fre
quently during my time in a
foster home and after I was
placed in the care of my cur
rent guardians. She sincerely
wanted to get to know me and
hear what I had to say. She
visited the family that I wished
to be placed with and helped
them meet the requirements
needed to take me home on my
The Jackson Herald's
Easter
Service
Guide
2010
Special
opportunity to
advertise your
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season services
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court date. In court she com
municated my wishes and con
firmed that all of the require
ments had been met, and that
it would be in my best interest
to be placed with that family.
Thanks to my CASA worker
I went home with a family
who were not only more than
capable of taking care of me,
but loving me as one of their
own children.”
In Jacke’s case, as in gen
eral for CASA volunteers, Lisa
said “the most important thing
to remember when working
cases is to think outside the
box. The best suggestion will
most likely come from the
child. All you have to do is
listen to hear what it is.”
If a situation is unresolved, a
CASA supervisor is available
to assist however needed, and
“you can always ask for help
from the caseworker assigned
to the case,” Lisa said.
In Jacke's case, CASA
helped pave the way to a solu
tion. Although the situation
was resolved, Jacke and Lisa
have remained in contact and,
as Jacke said, “enjoy talking
about what an impact CASA
had in my life.”
The high school senior is
now looking ahead.
“After I graduate high school
this May I plan to attend
Gainseville State College,”
Jacke said. “This will be my
first step in the long, rigorous
journey of pursuing my dream
of becoming an ER physi
cian.”
“The Piedmont CASA pro
gram is definitely a special
one,” Lisa said. “The work
the program does is amazing.
The supervisors are fabulous
to work with and the direc
tor is always out there look
ing for funds to help keep
the program going. You can
see first-hand the change hav
ing CASAs on a case makes.
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Being able to meet with others
in the community who have
also volunteered for CASA has
helped me make new relation
ships that I would have never
had. Finally, the Piedmont
CASA program changes the
life of a child forever....one
child at a time. “
WOW!... Academics featuring
reading and math and patriotic
songs honoring the USA were
all part of the recent First Grade
Program at ACS. This special
evening for parents,
grandparents, and friends also
featured history honoring
George Washington, the “Father
of our Country” and some
character lessons from “Honest
Abe.” The Bible part of the
program included songs and
memory passages on faith and
obedience, and concluded with
the touching song, “God Has a
Plan for my Life.”
Please call or write the school
for more information on grades
K-12, check our website, or
arrange to come by for a tour by
calling (706) 549-7586.
ATHENS
CHRISTIAN SCHOOL
“Affordable Quality Education Since 1970”
K3-12TH CALL (706) 549-7586
www.athenschristian.com
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