Voices for Children of Carroll County Swears In New Volunteers; Looking for More
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Jennifer Fuss, (301) 663-0011, ext. 118July 19, 2019
[Left-to-Right: Ian Kallay, Ellareese Burke, and Magistrate Kathryn Brewer-Poole]
WESTMINSTER, Md. – On Wednesday, June 19, Magistrate Kathryn Brewer-Poole of the Circuit Court of Carroll County swore in two eager volunteers, Ellareese Burke and Ian Kallay, to serve as Court Appointed Special Advocates for youth living in foster care in Carroll County.Both Burke, a Mt. Airy resident, and Kallay, a Frederick resident, completed thirty hours of training in April, motivated by their desire to give back to their communities and, particularly, to help youth who have had difficult childhoods.CASA program manager, Jennifer Fuss, was impressed with the new volunteers’ interest in serving youth. “Mr. Kallay and Ms. Burke are busy professionals who share a passion for supporting older youth in the foster care system,” said Fuss. “We know that the youth for whom they will serve will learn to know them as compassionate, caring and dependable adults who want to see them thrive.”Voices for Children of Carroll County, a program of the Frederick County Mental Health Association, is one of more than 900 Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) programs across the country – and one of fifteen in Maryland – that provide trained volunteers who are appointed by the court to serve as advocates for children under court protection due to abuse and neglect. CASA volunteers build strong and trusting relationships with their youth, and work to ensure that they receive the services they need to heal from the trauma they have experienced and, ultimately, to thrive.Fuss stressed that the need for additional volunteers is great. Carroll County is experiencing an increase in the number of children coming into foster care as a result of substance abuse. Knowing the positive impact that CASA volunteers can have on children’s lives, Voices for Children hopes to expand the number of volunteers and will be starting a new volunteer training class in August. For more information on upcoming training sessions, contact Fuss at 301-663-0011, ext. 118. About Voices for Children of Carroll CountyVoices for Children of Carroll County is a program of the Frederick County Mental Health Association, a not-for-profit agency. Voices for Children was founded in 2000 by the Circuit Court and a group of concerned citizens and professionals who believed that abused and neglected children in Carroll County needed a CASA program to help them reach safe, permanent homes. Voices for Children of Carroll County serves 40 children through the work of 30 CASA volunteers.For more information about the Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) program, please contact Jennifer Fuss at 301-663-0011, ext. 118 or visit https://fcmha.org/how-we-help/court-appointed-special-advocates
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