On Tuesday, March 23, 2021, CASA of East Tennessee proudly witnessed the swearing-in of a new group of volunteer advocates by Judge Tim Irwin.
These individuals brought with them a wide scope of experience such as an emergency room technician, a construction engineer, a foster parent, and even a former CASA. These volunteers were brought together by a passion to serve abused and neglected children in Knox County. They shared their own professional and personal experience as they learned from each other as well as their instructor, Lauren Herrmann, Volunteer Coordinator.
These advocates participated in court observations, mentorship, 33 hours of training, and a panel made up of CASA staff, attorneys, and other child welfare professionals. CASA of East Tennessee looks forward to the service each of these incredible volunteers will provide to the children of Knox County.
A few new CASA volunteers shared their feelings about how training prepared them to take on their role as Court Appointed Special Advocates:
“The CASA training was very thorough and pretty eye-opening about the cases we may encounter and how we need to respond to those. It helped me better understand our role as CASA volunteers.”
“I wanted to become a CASA to come along side children who have no one else to advocate for them and their best interest(s) within the judicial system.
I felt like our training was outstanding even though we couldn’t meet in person. The curriculum was thorough and the case studies were engaging and led to lots of additional discussion. I feel as prepared as possible to take on this new role. Thank you Lauren!”
Thank you, Winter Class of 2021. We are so excited to have you join our team!