I took my third step towards becoming a CASA today. CASA stands for Court Appointed Special Advocate. I took the first step last November when I called the Johnson County CASA office and requested an application to become a volunteer. The second step happened a couple of weeks ago when I interviewed with the director of CASA. And tonight I went to my first training class. I loved it and felt an overwhelming confirmation that I am doing the right thing even though life is busy and how could I possibly fit another thing into the schedule?
I first heard about the CASA program from a sister in my ward. She was the Relief Society president before I was called. She told me a little about what a CASA does and I knew then that I wanted to volunteer. That was about three or four years ago. There is a time and a season for everything.
If you are curious...go to www.nationalcasa.org to learn more. I copied this quote from the website:
Thoughts from Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and bestselling author Anna Quindlen "You go into a courtroom and you will see lawyers who know the law and have dozens of kids' files, or you have social workers who know the regulations and have dozens of kids' files. But if a CASA volunteer is in the room, you will see they have just one file, and what they know is that one child. And that can make all the difference to a judge's decision regarding how the rest of that child's life is going to go."
I'm excited for this new journey to begin. I'm looking forward to meeting families and helping children. I am tired of crying when I hear and read stories of children who have been abused, neglected, killed...I want to do something.
Stay tuned...
7 comments:
Good for you LaDawn. You will be perfect for that. THose children are lucky, keep me posted on that.
That is SO AWESOME! It's a phenomenal program.
Hey! I just found your blog from Jenny's list! Yeah! This sounds like a great opportunity. I hope you are able to help some children who are in tough situations. I admire you for doing this. Great blog, BTW.
LIfe is busy, but you know what they say... If you want something done give it to a busy person. I think you fit the bill and you will be great!
You have one of the biggest hearts that I know. Someone recently told me that the Lord works in mysterious ways and places people in our lives just at the right moment. You are definitely one of Heavenly Father's advocates for his children and I hope that this new adventure brings you lots of happiness. Love ya!
Good for you! I actually was just thinking a couple days ago that I would like to do something like that when all the kids are in school. I didn't even realize you were doing it. You're amazing!!
We were talking about angels in Relief Society yesterday and I believe that you are one!
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