Welcome New Advocates in Teller County

We extend our appreciation and congratulations to the new Teller County Court Appointed Special Advocate volunteers sworn in by Judge Linda Billings-Vela on October 13th. These dedicated citizens will soon begin the important work of advocating for the best interests of abused and neglected children in the courtroom and the community.

Judge Billings-Vela highlighted the need for CASAs in her courtroom: “It’s important that our Teller County cases have locally trained CASAs who understand our community’s strengths, challenges and culture.” she said. “We don’t currently have enough local CASAs to assign to every case. CASA’s mission to represent the best interests of victims of child abuse, neglect and family violence in court provides an additional layer of support, advocacy and information gathering that I appreciate having when making decisions impacting children and families. Frankly, these are among the most difficult and important cases a judge can handle.”

The specialized training CASAs receive and their willingness to serve make them great assets on a case. Because our CASA volunteers typically only work with one case at a time, I know those children have an extra voice advocating for their best interests,” said Judge Billings-Vela.

On behalf of abused and neglected kids in the Teller County, thank you!

Teller County: Front Row (L-R): Janet Stoddard (CASA staff), Angela Rose (CASA staff), Judge Linda Billings-Vela; Kate Howell, Diana Perkins, Diana Martin, Jessie Spehar; Brittany Wilson (CASA staff), Marc Dettenrieder (CASA Board member and Teller County Commissioner).