A $5,000 donation was accepted by the Cobb County Board of Commissioners on May 14 to help fund a new job for a Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) volunteer coordinator.
The donation was made to the Juvenile Court of Cobb County/CASA program by the Cobb County Court Appointed Special Advocates, Inc., a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) organization, from a $5,000 Impact Grant by the Cobb Community Foundation.
The contracted volunteer coordinator will recruit, screen and supervise CASA volunteers.
These volunteers are trained community members who are appointed by Juvenile Court judges to promote the best interest of abused, neglected or otherwise dependent children involved in Juvenile Court proceedings, according to Cobb Court Administrator Tom Charron.
There are 98 active volunteers currently overseeing cases involving 217 children, he added in a May 14 memo to County Manager Rob Hosack.
The contracted volunteer coordinator will supervise up to 20 new CASA volunteers who, in turn, will serve about 50 additional children.
Juvenile Court of Cobb County/CASA program volunteers now serve more than 30 percent of children in the Cobb County foster care system.
The contracted volunteer coordinator will help reduce the number of children currently waiting for CASA assignment.
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