Holding the ribbon at the Appomattox Celebration Ceremony to officially welcome CASA are (left to right): Samuel Carter, Appomattox County Board of Supervisors Chairman; Stephen Harvey III, Outreach Director for Congressman Thomas Garrett, Jr.; Honorable Marvin Dunkum, Jr., Presiding Judge and Chief Judge of Appomattox Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court; Shannon Beasley, Volunteer Advocate Manager at CASA of Central Virginia in Appomattox; Allison Stronza, Executive Director at CASA of Central Virginia; Bethany Harrison, Lynchburg Commonwealth Attorney and President of CASA of Central Virginia Board of Directors; and Laurel Marks, Manager of the Juvenile Services Section at the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services.

 Charles Conrad

Childhood trauma creates devastating personal effects which can last a lifetime, especially without the help of someone who, in the words of Lynchburg Commonwealth Attorney Bethany Harrison, serves as “that one steady rock” in that child’s life.

For the abused and neglected child whose home and security has been shattered by unfortunate circumstances, a caring and independent advocate can provide that child with a sense of security and hopefully help to break the cycle of family dysfunction which often carries over from generation to generation.

Appomattox County officially welcomed Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Central Virginia to serve abused and neglected children within the county with a celebration ceremony on March 5 at the Appomattox Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court. The event was overseen by Presiding Judge, and Chief Judge, the Honorable Marvin Dunkum, Jr.

Shannon Beasley, the Volunteer Advocate Manager of the Appomattox branch of CASA of Central Virginia, guided the ceremony which featured six guests speakers along with cake and refreshments for attendees.

The capstone of the evening was a ribbon-cutting ceremony where a long paper chain containing photos of children which have been assisted by the CASA program nationwide was cut to signify the successful implementation of the program into the county.

CASA advocates are volunteers who are trained to assist the child by getting to know the child personally, speaking with family members, teachers, attorneys, social workers and other people within the child’s circle of influence. The advocate, who is court-ordered to handle specific cases, provides information which a judge may use in determining the outcome of a case.

Judge Dunkum remarked that CASA volunteers will be a vital asset because a judge needs all the information that is available in order to resolve cases in the best interests of the child.

“I am very grateful for all the help we can get,” Dunkum expressed. “When you’re baking a cake, how good the cake is depends on how good the ingredients are you have to work with. When we’re making decisions in court, how good those decisions are depends entirely on how good the information is we get in court. What I know about those cases is what I hear in a courtroom like this, that’s it. The work’s got to be done by somebody before it gets to me.”

Stephen Harvey II, Outreach Director for Congressman Thomas Garrett, Jr., emphasized the importance of organizations such as CASA on a local level, in part, due to the fact there are currently no specific special interest groups on Capitol Hill which protect the rights of abused and neglected children.

“Across the country, CASA programs provide specially trained and supervised assistant advocates to ensure the needs and rights of our most vulnerable victims are met and maintained. CASA helps with at-risk youths, helping place them in permanent homes instead of the state welfare system,” Harvey said.

Harrison, who also serves as President of the CASA of Central Virginia Board of Directors, is glad to see the expansion plan into Appomattox come to fruition because the volunteers are a “point of consistency” to children who are undergoing serious changes and challenges in their lives.

“As a prosecutor, I can tell you about the benefits of having CASA advocates in your local jurisdiction,” Harrison said. “They’re beneficial not only for the court system, the foster care system, the criminal system, but also to the community. Having that person there, that point of comfort, that point of security, opened up many doors for that child to be much more candid about what happened and would tell me about things that happened in their life about those points of trauma. For a child who has been through all that, to open in such a way is huge and it’s a milestone in the healing process.”

Allison Stronza, the Executive Director of CASA of Central Virginia, outlined the nationwide and local expansion of CASA which began in 1977 by Judge David Soukup in Seattle, Washington and came to Central Virginia in 1989.

At the time CASA arrived in the region, Lynchburg and Amherst counties were ranked eight and ninth among 128 counties in Virginia with the highest cases of child abuse and neglect. The program now covers the entire 24th Judicial District and is the third largest base among 27 CASA programs statewide with around 100 volunteers serving approximately 300 children annually.

Essential in securing federal and state funding is the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services, which was represented by Laurel Marks, Manager of the Juvenile Services Section.

Marks credits the increase in funding from the Victims of Crime Act, a federal program which increased funding considerably in 2015 throughout the country. The increase was a big boost which enabled all 27 CASA programs in Virginia to receive much-needed finances. Marks is also hopeful that other areas which would benefit from a CASA program will see expansion in the near future.

In addition to volunteers, CASA also brings college interns on board to assist with necessary functions. Interns do not personally handle cases, but are involved in other ways. Two of those interns, Samantha Maupin and Olivia Burns, both of who are students at Liberty University, were present at the ceremony.

Maupin, who is pursuing a degree in social work, is interning under the leadership of Susan Shutt, the CASA Volunteer Advocate Manager in Bedford County. Maupin’s responsibilities include attending court hearings, meeting with CASA volunteers, reading case files and talking through those cases with Shutt.

“I just love the voice that [CASA] gives to the child. I think it’s so important to just get to know them and get to know what they want, knowing that CASA is in place to serve what’s in their best interest. So, it’s been really cool to be a part of that process,” Maupin said in appreciation for the program.

Burns, who is studying family and child development, works with Beasley in Appomattox. She is involved in tasks such as preparing for CASA events and information sessions, making community contacts and general office work.

Burns sees the need for child representation in Appomattox County through the time she has spent in the area and said that her heart has been burdened for victimized children since her youth.

“I’m very passionate about kids, especially kids who come from abused and neglected backgrounds. So, the work that they do, I really appreciate,” Burns said. “Whenever I was a senior in high school, I became involved with this organization called Charleston Hope back where I live. Basically, it’s just a program that started out really small and it just hands out Christmas presents to inner-city kids and schools. I kept going back to these schools and getting to know the teachers and students and I saw such a great need for these types of kids.”

Thus far, Beasley is quite impressed at the positive reception toward CASA in the Appomattox community. Through all the planning and beaurocratic procedures which are necessary, she was able to obtain office space at the Appomattox County Administration office through the generosity of people such as Samuel Carter, Chairman of the Board of Supervisors.

“We, as citizens of Appomattox County, we fully embrace this. For you all to do what you all do, and what you have to go through with, it’a amazing,” Carter said, in complementing the important work of CASA volunteers.

The ceremony was attended by approximately 40 people, including several current volunteers, a turnout which greatly pleased Beasley and further inspired her hope that CASA will succeed in Appomattox.

“We have had just fantastic enthusiasm for wanting to serve,” Beasley said. “These folks know that it’s a significant contribution. They attend the orientation session, they go through the interview process, which is lengthy. It’s a process, but these folks are committed. So, to have that many people who are committed, especially being so new to the area, that’s really great. The reason is because people see the need and they know that the impact will be great.”

According to Beasley, the CASA chapter of Appomattox will have 9 to 15 volunteers ready to start working with children and the court system by the end of May. Three are already active and three more are in training.

Anyone who is interested in becoming a CASA volunteer may contact Shannon Beasley at shannon@cvcasa.org or visit the CASA of Central Virginia website at www.cvcasa.org or the organization’s Facebook page.