CASA of Marshall County executive director Haley Kittrell announced the first CASA Volunteer of the Month this week.
Kittrell said, “All of our volunteers deserve recognition for all their hard work, and the Board of Directors has decided that we will try and recognize our volunteers who go above and beyond.” She explained that volunteers do not advocate for children who have been abused and or neglected because of pay, they are volunteering their time. Kittrell said, “Instead, they do it because they want what is best for children who are going through a very difficult time in their young lives.”
The first CASA of Marshall County volunteer of the month is Tracy Lynn. Tracy became a CASA volunteer in the fall of 2013. She received a case and was appointed almost immediately. Kitrrell said, “The first case Tracy had was not a “typical” case and involved a lot of research both on her part and my part, as her supervisor. Tracy was patient throughout the process and continually went “above and beyond” the call of duty.”
Now on her second case, Lynn has continued to devote hours and hours of her time to this case and most of all, these children.
Kittrell said, “Without knowing the details of the case, I’m not sure anyone can fully appreciate the time and energy Tracy has spent in the last couple of months doing her “volunteer work” but trust me when I say, it’s been a lot!” Tracy has advocated not only for the children in her case but also for CASA as an organization and was able to convince her husband to also become a volunteer!
Currently, CASA of Marshall County has 42 active volunteers who are available to take cases. They join the 3,402 community volunteers from across the state and together, they advocated for a total of 18,690 Indiana children. There are currently 4,043 children on the waiting list for volunteers across the state. The next training for Marshall County will be in the fall of 2015, and it is never too early to start that process. If you or someone you know is interested in becoming a volunteer, please contact Haley at haleyk@co.marshall.in.us or visit our website at www.marshallcountycasa.org.
