Right now, across Passaic County, more than 300 children, from newborns to teenagers, enter the foster care system each year because of abuse or neglect.
For the past 15 years, Passaic County CASA for Children has provided court-appointed volunteer advocates for children throughout Passaic County.
Throughout April, Passaic County CASA for Children partnered with local municipalities to acknowledge National Child Abuse Prevention Month.
This month and throughout the year, our organization encourages all individuals and organizations to play a role in making Passaic County a better place for children and families.
By ensuring that parents have the knowledge, skills and resources to care for their children, we can help promote children’s social and emotional well-being and prevent child abuse and neglect in families and communities.
We would like to thank the mayors and councilmembers of Ringwood, Bloomingdale, Haledon, Totowa, Clifton, Hawthorne, Woodland Park, Little Falls, West Milford, Passaic, Wayne and North Haledon along with the Passaic County Commissioners for issuing proclamations in support of Passaic County CASA’s mission and also bringing awareness to National Child Abuse Awareness Month.
Our goal is to ensure every child has a compassionate, dedicated, volunteer advocate willing to stand by them and speak up for them until they have a safe, loving and permanent home. To reach this goal, we need volunteers.
Volunteers do not need specific background, training or education to become a CASA; all training and resources are provided through 36 hours of pre-service training and ongoing continuing education.
“The feeling of having helped a child, even in some small way, is indescribable,” said court-appointed special advocate Candace Eardley of Totowa.
Attending a volunteer information session is the first step to becoming a court-appointed special advocate. Information sessions are a non-committal opportunity for community members to learn more about the volunteer program and ask questions about the volunteer experience.
For information about the volunteer program, go online to www.passaiccountycasa.org or send e-mail to Sasha Lowery at sasha@passaiccountycasa.org
To sign up for an informational session, go online to https://www.passaiccountycasa.org/getting-started or call (973) 832-4002.
Passaic County CASA for Children