Jay Woodard completed his CASA training in November 2023 to give back to the community and help those in need. His Advocacy Supervisor, CASA staff member Kayla Long, shared," Jay jumped right into his first case. He has been working with three boys for about a year now. It has been very beneficial for them to have a positive male role model during this time. Jay has gone to their sporting events to cheer them on, but he has also been a big cheerleader in their everyday lives. Even when he was called out of town for business, he checked in with the kids regularly and let them know he was in their corner."
Woodard enjoys giving his time as a CASA Advocate and says the best part is "Getting to know the kids and knowing you're helping to make a difference in their lives." One of his favorite memories so far is having one of the boys thank him for attending his tee ball game. "Being a CASA can be challenging, but I enjoy knowing that I can make a difference in a child's life during a difficult time."
CASA provides thorough training to prepare volunteers, like Jay, to understand various topics and community resources that help develop everyday citizens into effective advocates for children in the foster care & family court system. About half of CASA of the River Region's current volunteer advocates work full-time jobs. They live and work throughout our seven-county service area and have diverse personal and professional backgrounds. Only about 22% of our volunteer force is made up of men. 78% are women. While CASA has served nearly 500 children this year, we could not serve about 275 children due to a lack of volunteers. If you have a heart for kids and a few spare hours per week, please consider becoming a Court Appointed Special Advocate. A January training session is now forming. Learn more at www.casarr.org/volunteer or contact karen@casarr.org for more information on becoming a CASA.
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