CAPE MAN CASA VOLUNTEER OF YEAR

Carroll Waldo of Cape Girardeau said he volunteered to become a court-appointed special advocate because he has always loved children.

"Kids and me just get along," Waldo said. "I've always enjoyed having children around -- we raised three of them -- and I find it easy to relate to children. I just love them."

It was that love and dedication as a child's advocate for over two years that led Waldo to being recognized as Missouri's 1996 CASA (Court-Appointed Special Advocate) Volunteer of the Year.

Bettie Knoll, a member of the state CASA board of directors, headed the committee to pick the honoree. She said Waldo was the obvious choice.

"He is dedicated and has a great background with kids," she said. "And he is very concerned with children and has a big heart."

CASA is the national program that was locally formed four years ago, Waldo said. It was designed to ensure that abused children who have been turned over to foster care get adequate attention and that all their needs are met, he said.

"We ensure that they get everything they need," Waldo said. "If they need special education, counseling, we make sure they get it; whatever needs to be done for the child."

Cape Girardeau County has about 20 court-appointed special advocates. Each advocate is assigned a case by a judge.

All of the cases involve children who have been abused, either physically, sexually or psychologically.

Waldo said he has dealt with all three.

"But the sexually abused children are the most heart-breaking," he said.

CASAs spend time with the children in their caseload once a month to determine through casual conversation whether the children are being properly taken care of.

They have access to juvenile, medical and other records, he said.

"The Division of Family Services has 35 cases," he said. "There's no way they can read every piece of paper in every file. We have one case a piece so we have the time."

Each case comes up for review every six months. Then the volunteers give a report to the judge with a recommendation. It is then the judge's decision to determine whether the child should stay in the foster parents' care or return to their natural parents.

"That's our primary goal," Waldo said. "We don't want to take children away from their parents; we want to keep parents with their kids. But sometimes that's not the best thing."

CASA organizers warn volunteers not to become too close to their children. They say that this could cause the volunteers to lose their objectivity. Waldo said that is often difficult to do.

"When you see them every month and you get a vested interest in their wellbeing, how can you not get at least a little bit attached?" he said.