(WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- The nationwide “Court Appointed Special Advocate Program,” or CASA, is in need of volunteers.
“CASA’s are people who stand up for children and give them a voice in court," said Jan Kiger, the Director of Outreach and Volunteer Services for Family Advocates in LaPorte, Indiana.
She was referring to children who have been abused or neglected and is a CASA herself.
The pandemic, she said, has been part of the reason for the need for more volunteers.
“It absolutely has and as you know there have been a lot more cases of domestic violence and people that have had really difficult times with food management, so we’re seeing a lot more children being involved in the courts," Kiger explained.
"We’ve also seen a huge increase in the amount of drug-related cases.”
There are CASA programs in most if not all of the area counties.
In LaPorte County there are 55 children who don’t have CASA's, according to Kiger.
Volunteers get extensive training. Kiger said they really only need to commit to about ten hours a month.
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