A CASA coordinator will discuss programs to help children during an online meeting at noon today (Tuesday, February 16).
The speaker will be Amanda Brackett, Program Coordinator for CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) of Anderson County.
She will speak during the lunchtime meeting of the League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge. To watch the presentation, send an email to maryannreeves1@att.net. Later, you will be able to watch the recorded session on the League’s website at https://my.lwv.org/tennessee/oak-ridge.
Founded in 1988 to provide a voice for hundreds of children removed annually from homes in the community due to abuse and neglect, CASA of the Tennessee Heartland includes Blount, Scott, and Anderson counties, a press release said. A nonprofit, volunteer-based agency, CASA seeks to provide a trained, court-appointed volunteer advocate for every child going through the court system through no fault of their own, the release said.
“The last 23 years have abundantly demonstrated the benefits accruing to children with a CASA volunteer,” the press release said. “In contrast to 92 percent of children who age out of foster care only to be incarcerated or homeless within 18 months, children with a volunteer by their side, speaking on their behalf, do not get lost or forgotten in the system. They receive necessary services and medications and their time in foster care is cut in half. They are also less likely to return to the court system.”
Brackett has been the program coordinator for CASA in Anderson County for almost three years, the press release said. Brackett supervises CASA volunteers and does community outreach, seeking out and training new volunteers. Having lived in East Tennessee for most of her life, she graduated from Maryville College in 2016 with a bachelor’s degree in child development. She has experience in social services and program development, and she served as a CASA volunteer before taking her position with CASA of the Tennessee Heartland, the press release said.
“She has a passion for helping those in need, especially children, and is active in our community, serving on several boards and committees,” the release said.
Lunch with the League welcomes League members and nonmembers alike to this informative presentation.
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