Michael Wehrkamp, Paulding County Juvenile Court Judge, swore in two new volunteers to act as Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) in Paulding County on Monday, June 7, 2021.
The ceremony was held at the Paulding County Courthouse. On hand were new CASA volunteers Kara Eicher and Shaun Matako, existing CASA volunteers Jennifer Porter and Heidi Schlatter, and Northwest Ohio CASA Executive Director Desirae Eisenman, Advocate Coordinator Jessica Robbins, and Board Member Roy Klopfenstein.
“It was a great day getting to celebrate our newest CASA volunteers as well as our existing volunteers,” said Robbins. “Paulding County has welcomed our program with open arms and we are thankful for our volunteers who go above and beyond in each case. Our two newest volunteers will be joining a strong group of advocates who are working to provide a voice to the children in our community.”
The new volunteers are part of Northwest Ohio CASA, a non-profit program that expanded into Paulding County in September 2020 through a grant provided by Ohio CASA. 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.
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, including eight Paulding County volunteers who took their oaths in December 2020.
“Over the past year, Northwest Ohio CASA has grown tremendously,” said Eisenman. “We now have 66 CASA volunteers serving Defiance, Henry, Paulding, and Williams Counties. These volunteers have advocated for 159 children over the past year, and have put in over 2,000 volunteer hours. Our CASA volunteers are amazing individuals who all bring something unique to our program. With all the volunteer opportunities out there, we’re so grateful they chose our organization.”
Wehrkamp thanked the volunteers for their service. “I congratulate our new and existing CASA volunteers and thank them for their dedication. Being a CASA volunteer is challenging work, but it can be life-changing for both the child and the volunteer. The program has been a blessing for the children in our community and for the court.”
New volunteers Eicher and Matako join existing Paulding County volunteers Porter, Schlatter, Andrea Schlueter, Diane Wieland-Gerber, Jessica Porter- Pennington, Kerry Gudakunst, Patricia Ferrell, and Rhonda Bakle.
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 late fall 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.
