By STEPHANIE BEECKEN
6 News Reporter
KNOXVILLE (WATE) - Changes are coming for a non-profit that trains volunteers to represent the best interests of abused and neglected children.
Court Appointed Special Advocates, or CASA of East Tennessee, represents about 500 kids, but it has experienced a lack of funding and too few volunteers.
Julia Blakeley has been a CASA volunteer for the past four years. She got involved to help children in East Tennessee.
"The ultimate goal for every child is permanency, to be placed in a permanent loving home and that's our goal as well," Blakeley said.
Knox County Juvenile Court Judge Tim Irwin says CASA volunteers save the state money by collecting information for the court at no cost.
"We need someone to go in and look at the home and make sure it's okay, make sure the court understands the child's situation and that's what CASA does for us," Judge Irwin said. "It's an invaluable service."
But CASA is changing. It used to cover Knox, Sevier, Hamblen, Blount and Jefferson counties. However, Executive Director Ann Bowman says due to lack of funding and volunteers, that has to change.
"We want to serve kids better, and we may not have been serving kids as well as we could being spread across five counties," Bowman said.
The board of directors made a decision to focus only on Knox County.
Bowman says Jefferson and Hamblen counties will combine and hopefully form their own CASA non-profit group.
Blount County will likely be added to another CASA program called CASA of the Tennessee Heartland, which now serves Anderson and Scott counties.
Sevier will potentially be added under the Kids Place' non-profit group until it can form their own non-profit.
Judge Irwin says, "I know those other counties need CASA also and I'm glad we have them here and hope we don't lose them because they are vital to what we do as a court and very vital to make sure our children in Knox County are safe," he said.
Bowman says it could take a year for some of the other counties to have their own CASA program.
In the meantime, CASA of East Tennessee will continue to provide services for all children in the program.
If you'd like to learn more or volunteer, call CASA of East Tennessee at 865-329-3399.
