CASA Kern County recognized their 75th graduating class Wednesday night.
There were 18 men and women who became voices for children in the court system.
Thanks to the recent graduating class, the waitlist of 73 children who need CASA advocates will be cut in half.
CASA advocates volunteer to be assigned to one or multiple children who have been abused or neglected. They are responsible for representing the best interest of the child in court and often serve as the most steady person in the lives of the children they serve. There are 42 hours of rigorous training required to be a CASA.
Paul Linder graduated Monday night. He used to work for the Department of Corrections and saw a lot of inmates who came from dysfunctional homes.
“I think maybe this is an opportunity for me to work the other end of that,” he said. “Instead of dealing with them after they’ve been incarcerated as a result of a dysfunctional home, maybe I can have an impact and keep a child from going down that same path.”
Kern County CASA says the ideal advocate has good common sense, is kind and consistent.
If being a CASA advocate is something you think you may be interested in or know someone who can be a good fit, you can find their website here.
