The Exchange Club of Springfield welcomed Regina Burke, Director of Clark County CASA to our regularly scheduled Noon membership meeting on Tuesday August 29, 2017. Wendy Holt, Chairman,Child Abuse Prevention Committee of the club, presented a donation of $1,000 from the Exchange Club Foundation of Springfield, Ohio.
CASA means Court Appointed Special Advocate. All CASAs work on a volunteer basis. They are members of the community who have been trained to advocate in court for the best interest of an abused or neglected child. CASA volunteers are assigned to a child for the duration of a case, some of which can last years.
In 2016, there were 448 child abuse and neglect cases but only 77 had an assigned CASA. CASA training initially consists of 30 hours and CASAs must have12 hours each year refresher training to continue their certification.