Jackson County CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) volunteers are people, just like us, who stand up and speak out to help children who have experienced abuse or neglect. The non-profit organization recruits and trains regular citizens to be volunteer advocates for the best interests of children in the Jackson County Family Court system. It sounds so simple when it is boiled down to the direct mission, although it is life-changing work for the children in the foster care system, and for the volunteers.
What Angie Blumel, president and CEO of Jackson County CASA, wants us to know is that in the last couple of years, they have taken on a larger caseload of children and families dealing with foster care, up approximately 600 cases, to a total of more than 1,300 cases. That means there are more than 1,360 kids and families in the court system needing assistance that is provided at no cost to the child or family by Jackson County CASA and the work they do. That also translates into the organization needing 200 more volunteer advocates!
Here’s the scoop on being a volunteer advocate, it’s something most of us are equipped to do! We don’t need any special skills or education. We don’t have to be lawyers or have a legal background (although they won’t turn that down!). According to their most recent campaign launch, “It Starts With Heart. You will have the opportunity to provide kids in foster care with the advocacy, stability, and hope they deserve. We will provide you with the support, training, community, and education to ensure, through you, that every child we serve knows they are seen, supported, and worth fighting for.” That’s it – that’s all we have to bring to the table – a heart full of desire to help kids in the foster care system.
Let’s demystify the process of becoming an advocate even more!
- There are eight to nine hours of classroom training.
- There are approximately 30 hours of self-study online training.
- There are dedicated staff members to ensure that volunteers are comfortable and supported.
- There is a volunteer council that provides mentorship and a buddy system for advocates.
- And, there is continuing education, shared resources, and volunteer recognition.
Carlos Corredor, director of development; calls what they do, “good, hard work.” Angie said, “We offer a very special volunteer opportunity at CASA. What we do is critical to our clients and so rewarding to our advocates. It’s a remarkable place.”
In addition to the hardworking staff which keeps CASA afloat, there are also three groups who provide every kind of assistance to people associated with the organization – the board of trustees, the advisory council – members who have their own long-term experience with CASA, and a youth advisory council, providing their very qualified and specific voices to the mix.
Please follow along in The Independent as we continue to profile the people who make the mission and the vision work, the advocates. Hearing from their hearts will help the rest of us “start with heart.” For more information, visit casakc.org.
Featured in the May 16, 2026 issue of The Independent.
By Anne Potter Russ
