New volunteers sworn in, additional individuals sought as child advocates
“Earth angels” are back in service with the Logan County Family Court, as Judge Kim Kellogg-Martin fondly calls them, through a renewed effort to bring back the Court Appointed Special Advocate program after a nearly 10 year absence in the county.
Individuals in the CASA program give of their personal time and passionate efforts without pay to ensure that the best interests of local children are served in cases involving Logan County Children’s Services in Logan County Family Court.
Monday morning, a trio of new CASA volunteers — Tiffany Vermillion of West Mansfield, Angie Conaway of Jackson Center and Amber Newkirk of Bellefontaine — were sworn into service by Judge Kellogg-Martin at the Logan County Courthouse. The program has been made possible through grant funding recently opened up by the state.
“Now the hard work begins,” the judge said. “We’re so grateful to each of you for volunteering your time and taking this step to help the children of our community who need a voice.”
“These individuals are truly volunteers — they are not paid for their work,” Magistrate Natasha Kennedy said. “They are pillars of our community who want to give back.”
After completing background checks, the volunteers have met virtually for the past month via Zoom sessions during approximately 40 hours of intensive training required for their CASA certification. Presenters for the sessions have included new Logan County CASA Director Denyse Bayliss and Kalei Edenfield, a contractor from Ohio CASA.
“It’s so nice to meet everyone in person,” Bayliss said as the volunteers gathered outside the courtroom before the swearing in. “We’ve only seen each other via Zoom so far. We’re very excited to get this program up and running again in Logan County.”
Through the grant funding, Edenfield said 54 counties in Ohio now have the CASA program and are able to serve 10,000 children. The local program also should be eligible for federal funding in the future as well.
Magistrate Kennedy said each of the CASA volunteers will serve as independent investigators when assigned to a child’s case. They will engage with the child during regular visits and meet with the individuals who are involved in the child’s life as well.
Volunteers work with legal and child welfare professionals, educators and service providers to ensure that judges have all the information they need to make the most well-informed decisions for each child.
The individuals stay with each case until it is closed and the child is in a safe, permanent home.
Each of the new CASA volunteers said they have a heart for helping children and this program was a practical way that they could give back. Despite busy work schedules and taking care of their own families, they are committed to assisting local children who have been in difficult and unstable situations, experiencing neglect or abuse.
Newkirk is a Bellefontaine High School special education teacher, and said CASA was a way to bridge the connection between her work at the school and meeting other needs of children in the Logan County area.
Both Vermillion and Conaway said they have served as foster parents, with Conaway relating that her family adopted a child who they previously had fostered.
“I wanted to find yet another way to get involved,” she said.
Bayliss, who retired in 2016 from the banking industry, said leading the Logan County CASA program was appealing to her as a next step after working with Shelley Stephenson Ministries and the Be Who You Be Boutique.
“We minister to women and mothers in the community, and this was a natural next step to also be able to work with children as well,” she said.
The program is seeking additional applicants for CASA volunteers to work with the Logan County Family Court, and previous experience is not required, Bayliss and Edenfield said.
For more information or to apply, contact “CASA of Logan County” via Facebook or e-mail Bayliss at dbayliss.