Eleven new CASA volunteers sworn in on Tuesday

Eleven new Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASAs) were sworn in as officers of the court at CASA of the Pikes Peak Region’s swearing-in ceremony on Tuesday, May 23rd.

The ceremony took place at the El Paso County Courthouse and was presided over by 4th Judicial District Judge David Gilbert. It was the final step taken by these community volunteers after weeks of training which covered topics like trauma, resiliency, poverty, mental health, substance abuse, domestic violence, and the role of the CASA volunteer.

Now, each new advocate will be appointed to an open case Dependency & Neglect by a judge so that they may speak up for an abused or neglected child and ensure that child’s best interest remains front and center during court proceedings.

Congratulations new advocates Paul Chitpanya, Carolyn Grossell, Patricia Hendrick, Anantta Kaur, Hilarie Lancaster, Vickie Newkirk, Shelby Orozco, Rafael Perez Perez, Kimberly Schnarrs, Jennifer Swan, and Kimberly Weinstein.

CASA continues to seek new volunteers to support children in El Paso and Teller counties who are involved in the child welfare system due to abuse, neglect, or severe domestic conflict. Anyone who is interested in serving their community in this capacity is encouraged to attend an upcoming CASA Volunteer Information Hour. Info hour dates can be found here: www.casappr.org/volunteer.