Newly Trained Volunteers Take Oath as Court Appointed Special Advocates in Union County
Union County Superior Court Judge Rosalba Comas (left) with Elaine Anderson, CASA Volunteer & Summit resident.
Six community volunteers will be sworn in as Court Appointed Special Advocates – known as CASA volunteers – to serve vulnerable Union County children living in foster care through no fault of their own.
The nonprofit organization Child Focus operates CASA of Passaic and Union Counties, and its goal is to provide a CASA volunteer for each of the more than 250 child-victims in foster care. Currently, just 30 percent of vulnerable infants, children, and teens in Union County have the continuity and support of a CASA volunteer serving as extra eyes and ears for judges hearing their cases. There is a critical need for additional community volunteers to step up as this team of six have done, so more children can be served.
Union County Superior Court Judge Rosalba Comas last week presided over the swearing-in of the newly trained volunteers, allowing each to then be assigned to foster youth and begin to advocate for their best interests and ensure their needs are met while in the child welfare system.
Since caseworkers, attorneys, and foster homes are ever-changing, the CASA volunteer – or advocate – is a much-needed constant in a child’s life, committing to work with the child until the case reaches permanency in a stable home and the case closes. Children assigned a CASA volunteer are more likely to receive services, spend less time in the foster system, and experience significantly better outcomes than those without an advocate. Those interested in becoming a volunteer advocate can sign up for an information session at casapassaicunion.org/info-session.
Newly-Trained Volunteers
Elaine Anderson, CASA volunteer from Summit
Loretta Gadson, CASA volunteer from West Orange
Christine Larrabee, CASA volunteer from Cranford
Kathleen Oates-Nies, CASA volunteer from Westfield
Patience Opaola, CASA volunteer from Linden
Robert Tracy, CASA volunteer from Cresskill
“As a volunteer opportunity, CASA brings it all together for me. The organization allows me to have a meaningful impact on my local community with a purpose that I truly believe in. Every child deserves a chance,” said Elaine Anderson, CASA Volunteer & Summit resident.
“We are proud to welcome this new group of volunteers to the CASA family,” said Erica Fischer-Kaslander, Executive Director of Child Focus. “These individuals have taken concrete action to make a difference in the lives of children who have experienced immense trauma, having been removed from home through no fault of their own, often due to abuse or neglect. We look forward to working with our new advocates as they serve these vulnerable youth and urge more community members to follow their example by volunteering to support children in need.”
Union County Superior Court Judge Rosalba Comas expressed her gratitude for the CASA program and the volunteers’ commitment to the children they serve: “If I really want to know what’s happening with a child, I listen to the CASA worker, because they are 100% in tune with everything that the child needs, and everything that’s happening in the child’s life,” Judge Comas shared.
“Their job is to look out for the kids and represent the children’s interest and make sure that all of their needs are being addressed. It’s not just whether they need clothes or whether they need toys, it’s the bond. It’s what they need emotionally, it’s someone they can count on.”