December 31, 2020 – Michael Wehrkamp, Paulding County Juvenile Court Judge, swore in eight new volunteers to act as Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) in Paulding County on Monday, December 28, 2020.
To ensure the safety of those involved, volunteers swore or affirmed their oaths during a virtual ceremony. “We typically like to make this a big event and celebrate with friends and family. Due to COVID, we wanted to ensure everyone was safe. We are so proud and excited to have these new volunteers joining us.” said Jessica Robbins, Defiance and Paulding County Advocate Coordinator for the CASA program.
The new volunteers are part of Northwest Ohio CASA, a non-profit program that expanded into Paulding County in September 2020. Northwest Ohio CASA trains community volunteers to advocate for children who have experienced abuse or neglect. These volunteers ensure the best interest of the child is met both in the courtroom and community. To do so, CASA volunteers work with caseworkers from Job and Family Services, teachers, and family members, as well as meet with the child once a month to monitor case progress. The goals of a CASA volunteer are to ensure the voice of a child is heard in court and to help work towards family reunification or a safe, permanent placement.
Bringing a CASA program to Paulding County was a goal of Judge Wehrkamp’s since he took office in 2017. Northwest Ohio CASA was able to expand into Paulding County through a grant provided by Ohio CASA. The CASA program is a national program in 49 states and serves over 270,000 children annually. Paulding County’s newest volunteers join a large group of community members involved with Northwest Ohio CASA advocating for children.
“Our program had 44 active volunteers in 2020 serving 140 children and putting in almost 1,800 hours of volunteer time across Defiance, Henry and Williams Counties. We now have 19 new volunteers joining Northwest Ohio CASA, including our 8 new volunteers in Paulding County,” explained Desirae Eisenman, Northwest Ohio CASA Executive Director.
During the virtual ceremony, Judge Wehrkamp thanked the volunteers. “Our CASA volunteers have already demonstrated their commitment to the youth of our county by taking the 30-hour training, observing court proceedings, and asking some very thoughtful questions. I congratulate them and look forward to working with them. I could not be more pleased to have eight CASA volunteers in our inaugural class, which well exceeded our goal of four to six trainees.”
CASA volunteers may also serve in domestic relations cases in the Paulding County Common Pleas Court. Common Pleas Judge Tiffany Beckman was on hand for the virtual ceremony and thanked the CASA volunteers.
To become a volunteer, one need not have any background knowledge of the juvenile court or child welfare system. Those interested in becoming volunteers must be at least 21 years of age, complete an application, pass a background check and undergo 30 hours of pre-service training.
The next CASA training session will begin in spring of 2021. If you are interested in becoming a CASA volunteer, please visit www.nwocasa.com for an application or email info@nwocasa.com. Northwest Ohio CASA may be reached at 419-592-9455.
