By Nancy McCullar<\/p>\n
On Tuesday, Nov. 18, CASA of Berks County welcomed four new Court Appointed Special Advocates during a swearing-in ceremony held in Berks Family Court. Judge Tina Boyd administered the oath, marking the organization\u2019s third class of newly trained advocates this year.<\/p>\n
Each volunteer brings a unique background and perspective \u2014 but all share one goal: ensuring the safety and well-being of children who have experienced abuse or neglect. After completing 30 hours of intensive training, the new advocates will begin serving children from Berks County, many of whom are currently in foster care.<\/p>\n
Joliyah Westwood, who is pursuing a Master\u2019s in Business Administration degree, said stepping into advocacy feels like a calling. \u201cI am passionate about using my voice to advocate for others,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Arborist Cooper Parker looks forward to putting his skills and compassion to work: \u201cI look forward to building my advocacy skills and providing a voice for the kids.\u201d<\/p>\n
Volunteer Kim Pirtle expressed her hope for impact at the most personal level. \u201cI hope my volunteering means a child is safer and healthier because I\u2019m bringing their voice and their information to the courts,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Former foster home provider Jessica Flatley hopes her advocacy will help children recognize their own strength: \u201cI want the children to know they have a voice, and that their voice has power.\u201d<\/p>\n
2025 marks the 10th anniversary of the CASA program serving Berks County, which launched in 2015 and now forms part of a statewide network of 21 programs across 32 counties. CASA advocates stand beside children in the dependency court system, ensuring their needs and stories are heard.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor many of the children we serve, a volunteer CASA advocate is the one constant they will have during this difficult time in their lives,\u201d said Executive Director Nancy McCullar. \u201cChildren with a CASA advocate are more likely to succeed in school and less likely to re-enter the foster care system.\u201d<\/p>\n
Before receiving a case, every CASA volunteer completes extensive background checks and in-depth training, followed by year-round coaching from an Advocate Coordinator.<\/p>\n
CASA of Berks County currently has 58 volunteers serving more than 80 children annually. With over 250 children in dependent care locally, the need for additional advocates continues to grow.<\/p>\n
Those interested in becoming a CASA volunteer can learn more at casaberks.org<\/a> or contact Program Manager Christa Yeager at christa@casaberks.org<\/a> for detailed information.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"By Nancy McCullar On Tuesday, Nov. 18, CASA of Berks County welcomed four new Court Appointed Special Advocates…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":44082,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[128,130,129],"class_list":["post-44081","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-reading","tag-reading-city","tag-reading-city-headlines","tag-reading-city-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44081","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=44081"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44081\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/44082"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=44081"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=44081"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=44081"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}