Court advocate program helps children, offers experience to volunteers
Wednesday, June 06, 2007

By Chloé Morrison
Staff Writer

Recent Covenant College graduate Ryan Vroegindewey has set his sights on law school but said he will make a couple of pit stops on his way there.

Mr. Vroegindewey said he is on a mission to transform the theoretical knowledge he gained in college into a practical, realistic understanding of the world.

In part, he is seeking an understanding of justice, and one of the first stops along his journey was the offices of the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit's Court Appointed Special Advocate program, or CASA, he said.

CASA is a national, nonprofit program that appoints a representative to do a private investigation into child abuse and neglect allegations, officials said.

Similar to social service caseworkers but not as overburdened, CASA workers investigate potential abuse, advocate for children and make a recommendation to a judge about a child's needs and future, officials said.

"CASA was an opportunity to really come face to face with the realities and the ugliness of abuse and broken relationships and certain injustice, and it has been a great learning experience," Mr. Vroegindewey said.

The Lookout Mountain CASA program operates under the Children's Advocacy Center, but it previously had been under another organization and was not thriving, said Carleena Angwin, CASA director.

Ms. Angwin said the program was unorganized and could not retain volunteers, however, the program is gaining momentum now, she said.

"We have a really strong foundation," Ms. Angwin said. "We were just awarded a $40,000 national CASA grant. (There were only) 12 in the United States given (and we received it) because of the success we've had with this program."

The program has 14 trained volunteers, who range in age from 23 to 78, Ms. Angwin said.

"Some of the volunteers have had experience in child welfare, and some of them have not," Ms. Angwin said.

"As long as you are concerned for the well-being of children and you can articulate your viewpoint well, have fairly good writing skills and can remain objective and nonjudgmental, it doesn't really matter what your background is," she said.

Ringgold, Ga., lawyer McCracken Poston said the CASA program is helpful because volunteers can put in time that others can't.

"No Juvenile Court judge that I know of could or should go into the homes and have individual interviews with all parties, including the children," Mr. Poston said.

But CASA workers can do that and report to the courts.

Ms. Angwin and Mr. Vroegindewey find satisfaction in helping children, and they said the program also forces others in the courtroom to be knowledgeable about each child's case.

"I think there is a large satisfaction in coming into the court with a well-researched report and being able to give perspective that no other attorney or party is giving and make a concrete recommendation," Mr. Vroegindewey said.

The hardest part for Mr. Vroegindewey has been seeing the slow workings of the judicial process while knowing that children need immediate help.

He said it is disturbing to understand the reality of "deceit and coercion that goes on and always butts its head against what is ideal."

For Mr. Vroegindewey and Ms. Angwin, life is about good works and giving back, they said.

Ms. Angwin already has served in the Peace Corps, after becoming disillusioned with the corporate grind, and Mr. Vroegindewey is about to make his second stop on his quest for justice and understanding. He will leave the country for South Africa to work in the Peace Corps on July 19, he said.

"I want to understand what poverty is," Mr. Vroegindewey said. "First and foremost it is important for me to know what those things look like."