The Exchange Club of Springfield, Ohio met Tuesday April 11th, 2023, 6 PM, at the Benham-Pence Student Center Alumni Room for its regularly scheduled member meeting with 14 members and 2 guests present. Guest Speaker was Abbey Easton, Court Appointed Special Advocate, (CASA) Director, with Jessica Finney, Coordinator of Volunteers.
Court Appointed Special Advocates is a national association in the United States that supports and promotes court-appointed advocates for abused or neglected children. CASA are volunteers from the community who complete training that has been provided by the state or local CASA office. Ms Easton reported that Clark County had 7.2 cases of child abuse or neglect for every 1000 children, compared to the State of Ohio’s 6.9 cases of child abuse or neglect per 1000. CASA volunteers in Clark County last year invested 1,400 hours with some 52 cases last year. There are currently 20 active CASA volunteers in Clark County. Club Past President Melissa Tuttle presented a Foundation donation of $1,000 to Abbey and Jessica.