Eleven volunteers for the Court-Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Southwest Georgia were honored at a dinner Thursday night, and we join the CASA Board of Directors in celebrating their volunteerism.

CASA volunteers advocate on behalf of abused and neglected children. Their responsibilities include making sure that the children are placed in safe, permanent homes, whether with other family members or foster parents. They participate in training courses and attend court sessions to be sure they are ready to help these children in need. In many cases, the CASA volunteer serves as an adult mentor and role model for children who don’t have similar role models at home.

The CASA program’s funding took a hit earlier this year when the county held back $6,000 that it normally provides to the organization each year. The community can do its part to step up and help fill that void through contributions and volunteerism; call CASA at (229) 248-1040 for more information.

We salute the CASA volunteers: Ruthie Giles, Patty Brown, Rev. James Platt, Mandy Long, Ruthie Linzie Henry, Kelly Higgins, Dianne Toliver, Ethel Wills, Sandra Brown, Scott dePriest and longtime volunteer and now-board-member Mike Hollaway. Thank you for your devotion and sacrifice to make sure that our community’s children have a brighter future.