South Orange-Maplewood Residents Appointed as Advocates for Children in Foster Care

From CASA for Children of Essex County, Inc:

From left to right: Donnette Brown, Plainfield; Sasha Montan, Montclair; Noelia Gomez, West Orange; Linette Mathewson, Verona; Ramona Padilla, Orange; Adam Varoqua, Haledon; Julie Weber, Short Hills; Robbie Destri, Maplewood; Christina Strasburger, Belleville; Tammy Bolden, South Orange; Gina Hyndman, Verona. Not pictured: Megan Josephson, Short Hills; Amy Kelley, South Orange; Stephanie Parry, Bloomfield; Robin Weidhorn, Livingston.

Fifteen people from across Essex County—including Tammy Bolden and Amy Kelley from South Orange and Robbie Destri from Maplewood – were sworn in as the newest Essex County Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASAs) by Superior Court Judge Carolyn Murray on August 21, 2018.

These volunteers recently completed 33 hours of training to prepare for their role as advocates for Essex County’s abused, neglected or abandoned children who were removed from their homes and placed in foster care. CASA volunteers act as an extra set of eyes and ears for family court judges and speak up for these children in court to ensure they receive the services and support they need, and that their time in care is as short as possible.

Of the 1,700 children in foster care within Essex County each year, nearly 600 were served by CASA. More volunteers are needed to work with over 1,100 youth who still need a CASA Advocate. The next training course begins September 12. For more information regarding training or other ways to help the organization to reach more foster youth, contact Jess at 973-622-4831 or [email protected]

Essex County Judge Swears In CASA Volunteer Advocates for Children in Foster Care Not pictured: Megan Josephson, Amy Kelley, Stephanie Parry, Robin Weidhorn.
Essex County Judge Swears In CASA Volunteer Advocates for Children in Foster Care Not pictured: Megan Josephson, Amy Kelley, Stephanie Parry, Robin Weidhorn.