Henry County once stood alone as the last Georgia county without a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) program to help local children in foster care. Although Henry CASA officially launched in 2023, many people remain unaware of the program’s existence. Executive Director Lisa Dawodu hopes to change that.

“I am ecstatic to be here,” said Dawodu, who retired from her career in finance to do something more personally meaningful to her. “Without CASA, some child’s story is not going to be fully told. With CASA, we can literally change a child’s life for the good.”

CASA is a nonprofit organization that exists to provide a voice for children who’ve landed in the foster care system due to abuse or neglect. Volunteers are the heart of the program as they advocate for foster children’s interests. “Our goal is to make sure a judge has every sliver of information possible so they can make the best decisions for the child. Sometimes, we are able to get information that no one else has,” said Dawodu.

“We are so proud of all that CASA of Henry County has accomplished in such a short time,” said Jen King, Georgia CASA Executive Director. “CASA advocacy is community in action, centering the needs of children and families in crisis, offering individualized attention, compassion, and consistency.”

CASA is not a replacement for DFACS, social workers or attorneys. Instead, CASA volunteers work on building a relationship with their assigned child through a regular visiting schedule. They also gather information from people relevant to the case, write reports to the court, and attend court hearings to advocate on behalf of the child.

While that may sound like a lot, Dawodu says the average volunteer time commitment is only around 15 hours per month. Most volunteers work with one foster child or sibling group at a time. “We now have 15 volunteers serving 26 children,” said Dawodu. “But we’re only serving 33% of Henry County’s foster kids. We definitely need volunteers; every CASA program hopes to serve 100% of the children in care.”

Adults of all ages are welcome to apply, and Dawodu invites civic groups, churches and other organizations to consider joining this vital outreach. Virtual information sessions are available, and CASA offers flexible training to accommodate volunteers’ schedules. Email Dawodu at info@henrycasa.org or visit www.henrycasa.org for more information.

By Kari Apted