The Forgotten Children

Each day in the United States, approximately 850 children enter the foster care system due to abuse or neglect. That’s almost 6,000 children each week. If the magnitude of this number is shocking, it is probably because this number is rarely reported. These children are – the “forgotten children”. On May 19, 2008, in Washington, D.C., National CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) launched a campaign to bring attention to the plight of these children. Life-sized, cut-out photos stood in place for these children in front of the Washington Monument on the National Mall. Eight hundred-fifty were placed there each day. They bore messages from foster children, all drawn from a study that captures the voices of 100 foster youth across the nation. You should hear their voices. Messages like: “I have lived in ten different foster homes in 2 1/2 years.”; “Foster children should be seen and heard.”; “We all have the highest potential.” ; “I had 102 separate social workers assigned to my family over the years.” and “I just want to live with my brothers and sisters.” should resonate in our ears.

CASA of Southeast Missouri and its Volunteers strive to remember these “forgotten children” each day – but we cannot reach them all. At the present, we only have enough Volunteers to serve about ½ of the children in foster care in Perry, Cape Girardeau and Bollinger Counties. We desperately need help!

Make a difference by becoming a Court Appointed Special Advocate –a CASA. The CASA is the unbiased, consistent, caring adult dedicated to taking the time to fully evaluate a child’s situation and represent that child’s best interest while in the foster care system and in court. CASAs are the “eyes and ears” for the judge and are in a unique position to concentrate solely on the needs of the child—one case at a time – until that child is placed in a permanent, safe home. To quote Pamela Butler, a former foster child, “To give a child a CASA is to give them a voice. To give them a voice is to give them hope, and to give them hope is to give them the world.”

Fall training for CASAs begins on September 13, 2008. If you are interested or would like more information, contact Revonda Kirby at (573) 335-1726 or go to www.capecasa.com.