Eight new Advocates sworn in over Zoom

April 13, 2020 (Colorado Springs, Colo.) – Eight new Court Appointed Special Advocates were sworn in as officers of the court by Fourth Judicial District Judge Jill Brady during CASA of the Pikes Peak Region’s first-ever Zoom swearing-in ceremony on Friday.

The swearing-in ceremony, which was modified to allow for proper social distancing, was the final step for these community members to become Court Appointed Special Advocates. The new advocates took an oath before the judge following their completion of a two-week training course which covered topics like trauma, resiliency, poverty, mental health, substance abuse, domestic violence, and the role of the CASA volunteer.

These volunteers are now ready to advocate for abused and neglected children in the Pikes Peak Region during their time in the child welfare system. Each volunteer will be assigned to an open Dependency & Neglect case so that they may speak up for and advocate for the child or children on that case.

Congratulations new advocates Kim Bundgaard, Kay Brock, Gennae Brooks, Rene Courtney, Robert Ford, Robin McCreery, Donna Park, and Richard Ranson.

CASA continues to work on behalf of the most vulnerable children in our community, even while Colorado residents are under a stay-at-home order due to COVID-19. While advocates are not currently engaging in in-person meetings with the children on their cases, they are staying in touch with families via phone calls, facetime, and skype while working remotely to complete court reports.

Because of COVID-19, children who are at risk for abuse or neglect are now more vulnerable because of the additional stress that parents are under. CASA’s work is especially important during this time, and CASA of the Pikes Peak Region seeks more community members to become volunteers. Interested parties are encouraged to visit www.casappr.org and submit a volunteer application.