CASA hosts first gingerbread house contest

November 29, 2006
By Bobbie Curd
The Advocate Messenger, Staff Writer

Walking into the front of the Community Arts Center Tuesday, a waft of sweetness hits noses and sniffing on-lookers follow the trail to the right, where several gingerbread houses are on display. The First Annual Gingerbread Casas for CASA Contest has invaded the building.

CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) is a non-profit organization providing advocacy services to children who are abused and neglected in Boyle and Mercer counties. Jamie Etherton, program director, says this year alone, more than half a million abused and neglected children nationally will enter the child welfare system, and the organization provides special volunteers to ensure these children locally are treated as safely as possible.

Etherton stands among the chocolatey roofs and lollipop trees discussing how the contest for the best gingerbread house originated. She says they did a small, private one last year but the board thought it was a good idea to get more in the community involved. 

"So, as you can see, we have two divisions - professional and amateur. This one is in a league of its own," Etherton says about a beautiful replica of someone's home done by Judy Ross, called "St. Asaph."

Just beside it is "Winter at Molly Creek ," a farm scene complete with a hard candy blue stream, coconut snow, a barn and a tractor made of Oreos and gumdrops. The house, made by Scarlet Sebastian, is a replica of a family farm.

"The houses will be auctioned off this weekend at a private event," Etherton says, and the group hopes the contest continues to grow next year.

Another entry, a beach house by Stacy Coontz, veered away from the traditional snowy setting, instead boasting a "Santa's Surfin'" surfboard beside a bright pink house. Gummy fish are swimming by in blue icing, and green leaves sprout from chocolate twist wafer trees, and fallen fruit candies lay on the ground beneath them.

A more traditional "Candy Covered Cottage" by Jenna Miller in the professional category, has red, white and green candy covering the roof and walls.

In the amateur division, Ginna Mooser created a colorful house decorated and outlined in yellow, red, white, purple and green gumdrops, with Andes Mints for the shingles, and a confectionery, sparkly Santa.

"Really, a group of people who got together that wanted to hold this competition thought it would be great if they could attach it to a good reason.

"They saw CASA as that reason, and we're happy about that," Etherton says. She says CASA decided to model the project off of Volunteers of America in Lexington who hosted about 50 applicants.

"But we're happy with nine for now," Etherton says.

To find out more about CASA at Woodlawn, go to www.casaatwoodlawn.org.

Copyright The Advocate-Messenger 2006

January 2006 "CASA NEWS" Newsletter

Click here for January 2006's CASA NEWS. [Don't have Adobe Acrobat? Click here to download a free version.]

August-September Newsletter

August 25, 2005 - News, News, News! Our CASA program at Christian Care Communities at the Danville campus at Woodlawn not only has new August-September news to share, but the news has also had quite a bit to say about us!

The Kentucky Advocate interviewed CASA volunteer, Karla Johnson, and Judge Bruce Petrie on behalf of an article published in their August 5th paper to introduce the program to Danville's community. Along with this, in August 21st's edition of the newspaper, CASA's Americorps VISTA volunteer, Eve Palmer, was able to express her passion for CASA and CASA's mission in an editorial in the Advocate's "Voice of the People" Section.

As for our own news...CASA at Woodlawn now has 12 volunteers sworn in and looks forward to a celebratory potluck dinner. Just as exciting, we will be swearing in our Advisory Council at our September 13th (6:00pm) Advisory Council meeting with a special visit from Judge Bruce Petrie.

Our staff continues to make headway for the program. We were able to collaborate with Danville's other local service organizations at a monthly United Health Services meeting. Staff also looks ahead to these upcoming events:
August 25: K.I.C.K. Off in Shelbyville (KY Improving Collaboration for Kids)
September 1: Conference on child abuse in Lexington
September 8: Booth at Centre College Student EXPO
September 14: United Way Day of Caring

We continue to brainstorm and plan fundraising events, organize new training materials and videos, and keep connected to Danville's community. We hope that everyone is off to a great fall season!

Shirley Sanders (Executive Director)
Eve Palmer (Americorps VISTA Volunteer)

CASA Protecting children from neglect and abuse

August 25, 2005 - Eve Palmer, CASA at Woodlawn's Americorps VISTA volunteer, wrote a letter to the editor published in The Advocate Messenger:

Dear Editor:

What brings a recent college graduate from the big city of Milwaukee to dedicate a year of volunteer service to the community of Danville - while living on poverty level income, I might add? The answer: what Liz Maples' series on domestic abuse called the "unseen victims of domestic violence" - children.

While we are fortunate to have Kentucky's Cabinet for Health and Family Services serving these children, social workers are often overburdened trying to juggle immense amounts of referrals and maltreatment cases. But there is another valuable resource that the Danville community must know about: CASA. Christian Care Communities at Woodlawn campus aids our community through its support of a local CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) branch. This program advocates on behalf of maltreated children to make sure the child victim's voice is not silenced and that their best interests are represented in domestic violence cases.

Kentucky CASA served more than 1,837 children in 2004, and CASA volunteers will continue to remove children from the corner of neglect and abuse in a battle for their right to a safe, permanent, and nurturing home. Danville's CASA program is young, but hopeful. As an Americorps VISTA volunteer, I hope to build and sustain the Danville program's capacity to be an empowering voice for kids.

Eve Palmer
Danville

Court-appointed advocates help one child at a time

August 5, 2005
By Todd Kleffman
The Advocate Messenger, Staff Writer

Karla Johnson doesn't know much about the law. She's never had any training as a social worker. Or as a child psychologist.

But Johnson does have a tender spot in her heart for kids, which makes her an ideal volunteer for the Court Appointed Special Advocate program that has been resurrected in Boyle and Mercer counties to shepherd abused and neglected children through the court system.

"The benefit of a CASA worker is they don't have all the pre-programming the rest of us in the system have," said Family Court Judge Bruce Petrie. "They're regular folks trying to do what's right for the children. They are another set of eyes on a child going through the system, and their only agenda is what's best for the child."

Johnson, 31, of Danville, is among the first group of seven trained volunteers that will help rebuild the local CASA program that has been inactive for two years after bad leadership and scandal shut the chapter down. Petrie assigned his first case to the new CASA last week.

"I'm excited about it. I'm ready," said Johnson, who underwent 30 hours of "intense" training to prepare for the work. "I'm not here to judge, I'm here to listen. My big thing is that I believe every child deserves to have a voice and a chance to be heard."

It's taken two years for CASA to rise from the ashes of Stephen Hoeck's time as executive director. The local chapter had its charter revoked after falling out of compliance with CASA's state and national standards by not having an advisory board and not training volunteers.

Then, Hoeck was indicted on three felony counts of child abuse involving two boys that were in his custody as a foster parent. He later agreed to a deal with prosecutors to have the charges reduced to misdemeanors in exchange for a guilty plea. Hoeck served 60 days in jail earlier this year.

"This is not a rebirth of that chapter. This is a start-over from scratch," said David Hall, who recently stepped down as chairman of CASA's advisory board that helped get the local chapter back in working order. "We're back in good graces with both state and national CASA."

Along with a new batch of volunteers, the local agency has a new executive director, Shirley Sanders, and a new office on Woodlawn Children's Campus. It received a $40,000 start-up grant from the national organization, which is renewable for one more year, and also receives funding from United Way and donations, said Sanders, the group's only paid worker.

Sanders said five more volunteers are awaiting training. Ultimately, the local group needs about 30 volunteers to meet the needs of kids in Mercer and Boyle counties, she said.

Petrie explained that CASA volunteers are assigned to a child who has come to court because they have been taken from their homes, usually due to neglect or abuse at the hands of parents who are out of work or have substance abuse problems. The volunteers help the court decide on the best permanent place for the child, whether it's back with the family, adoption by a relative, foster care, or other state programs.

While the child has an attorney, social workers and a judge involved in his case, Petrie said those professionals also have hundreds of other cases to deal with. CASA workers stay honed in on one child at a time. They visit with the child and parents, interview teachers and other family members, gauge any progress being made and make recommendations to the court. Oftentimes, they serve as a catalyst to make sure court orders are followed.

"Because they are lay people and nobody is doing it for the money, they have no agenda but the well-being of the child," Petrie said.

That's what inspired Johnson to volunteer, she said.

"I have two small kids myself and I can't imagine some of the situations these kids are put in," she said. "My heart goes out to them. It tears me up inside. I just hope I can hold up and be strong enough to help them."

CASA at Woodlawn Receives Start-Up Grant

May 12, 2005 - On May 12, 2005, CASA at Woodlawn received a 2005 National CASA Association New Program Development grant in the amount of $40,000 for the 2005-2006 fiscal year. This grant has allowed CASA at Woodlawn to hire a full-time director, Shirley Sanders. Sanders had been acting as the Volunteer Director since early 2005.

Although CASA at Woodlawn has received this wonderful start-up grant, we still need your assistance. Go to our Volunteer page or Donate page for more information.

CASA at Woodlawn names director

By Bobbie Curd
The Advocate Messenger, Staff Writer

A local child advocacy group is "starting from scratch" with the appointment of a new director.

Shirley Sanders, a retiree of Christian Church Homes of Kentucky, will volunteer her services, at least at first, with CASA of Woodlawn.

Embattled since 2003 by the removal of its national affiliation and criminal charges against its former director, the organization is being revitalized.

"We're trying to lose that past cloud that was hovering over us. We've got a completely new chapter with a clean slate," said board Chairman David Hall, an assistant professor at Centre College.

The local chapter of Court Appointed Special Advocates was formed in 1997, its purpose to enlist volunteers to help children involved in abuse or neglect cases in Family Court.

"This person is really the only unbiased individual involved in that child's case that's working solely for the child. They act as the liaison between the child, court and family," Hall explained.

The representative from CASA interviews the child, the family and teachers, as well as accompanies them to court.

"Putting a child in this type of situation is very disruptive to their life. The volunteer advocate is one point of stability that the child can depend on, and that's very important," Hall said.

But in March 2003 the local chapter was determined to be out of compliance with the standards of the national organization. Three months later, former director Stephen Hoeck was indicted on two counts of first-degree sexual abuse and one count of first-degree criminal abuse, both charges involving victims who were males under 12 years old.

With a new director, Sanders, and now affiliated with Christian Care Communities at Woodlawn, the group's chairman said he has a bright outlook for the future of the group.

"It's as if we're starting from scratch, and we feel very confident with our new director," Hall said.

Sanders, originally from Stanford, has been a Danville resident for 22 years. She has a degree in business administration with a minor in psychology. In her position with Christian Church Homes of Kentucky, she was an independent living coordinator for 17 counties.

"I am very proud to be volunteering for this group. I would not have gotten involved if my heart wasn't in it. It's just an excellent program that I'd like to see continue," Sanders said.

Sanders doesn't feel as though her job will be overly difficult, judging from the organization members already have in place. She will be responsible for assigning volunteers to specific cases referred by the family court judge.

"I really feel like my job will consist primarily of getting it all together," Sanders said.

Hall said when the original chapter was dissolved, Family Court Judge Bruce Petrie and the state chapter started working immediately to get it redeveloped.

"Judge Petrie feels very strongly about the program and has seen what good it can do. We hope the public will, too, and offer their help in any way they can." Hall said.

CASA of Woodlawn will interview anyone interested in volunteering. Volunteers must be at least 18 years old, pass a background check and be willing to commit to 30 hours of initial training.

"We like to get them up to speed on what Kentucky legislation will allow them to do, so everything is in accordance," Hall said, adding that each advocate will be asked to volunteer 10-15 hours a month for one child.

Anyone interested in finding out more about volunteering may contact Sanders at Christian Care Communities at Woodlawn, (859) 236-5507, ext. 251.