Beginning on July 13th, CASA of Cumberland, Gloucester, and Salem Counties (CGS)—a nonprofit that trains teams of volunteer advocates to speak up for abused and neglected children in court—will launch their second round of virtual training sessions. This five-week virtual training course, run by Volunteer Coordinator Julia Frank, replaces and reinvents their typical quarterly trainings in an effort to continue building relationships, inspiring and empowering others, and giving back to the community from the safety of our homes.
“We decided to hold these virtual trainings to provide an opportunity for individuals to jump in to help without jeopardizing the health and safety of others,” says Jennifer Henderson, Program Director of CASA of CGS. “This pandemic is scary for everyone, but especially for those who are already part of a vulnerable population.”
Jenn reminds us that due to the quarantine, CASA children are missing visits with their families, and are not seeing their teachers, counselors, social workers, and advocates—all people who reminded them daily that they are not alone. Taking this into account, CASA of CGS knew that it was vital to continue training virtually in order to equip more advocates with the necessary knowledge and skills to help abused and neglected children in our community during this particularly stressful time.
“I think now more than ever it’s important to offer training,” Jennifer continues. “We are all trying to be responsible and remain at home to protect the health of the people we care about, but, at the same time, we feel completely helpless knowing there are children who are still in need of a caring adult who will advocate for their best interests. CASA’s virtual training will provide a chance to connect with others who are seeking the same thing—ways to help.”
CASA’s volunteer advocates add immense value to our network and to our community with the invaluable work they do, and we are grateful that they can continue welcoming new members to our Hopeloft family through their new online training system. We will continue to inspire change in the safest ways possible, and we invite you to join our movement by becoming a volunteer.
If you are interested in volunteering for CASA of CGS, learn more about becoming an advocate; reading our blog post that explores what advocates do; browsing their website; or contacting Jennifer Henderson at Jennifer@casaofcgs.org or Julia Frank at Julia@casaofcgs.org for information.