Court Appointed Special Advocate
The
Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) Program provides neglected
and abused children a voice in the courtroom.
Since the program started with a small budget in Pushmataha County
in 1997, it has expanded rapidly to include Choctaw and McCurtain
counties. The CASA program is funded by the Oklahoma Commission on
Children and Youth and the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA).
Under the direction of Little Dixie CASA Director Karla Luginbill,
volunteers are recruited and trained to be the voice of adjudicated
children who have been made wards of the courts. The trained
volunteers are assigned cases by a court judge. Their primary
mission is to be a friend of the adjudicated child. They gather
information about the cases and present informed recommendations to
the court. The CASA volunteers make sure each child is moved through
the court system and foster care as safely and quickly as possible.
Luginbill's goal is to continue to expand the program and recruit
more volunteers so that every abused child will be represented by a
CASA worker. For more information about the CASA Program, contact
Luginbill at (580) 298-2921.
Visit
www.littledixiecasa.org website
