A passionate and powerful voice – CASA of Lea County’s trained and court-appointed volunteers advocate on behalf of abused and neglected children.
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Welcome to CASA
A passionate and powerful voice – CASA of Lea County’s trained and court-appointed volunteers advocate on behalf of abused and neglected children. Together with our community’s involvement and generous support, we will positively impact the lives of our children.
What We Do
When children are abused or severely neglected, they must rely on adults to help them obtain justice and services. Who deserves an advocate more than an abused or neglected child? That is the intent of the social service and Family Court systems, but all too often these systems are fraught with escalating caseloads and reduced resources…
New CASA Training Class to Begin March 11th. Call Ann at 575-393-0015 ext. 2.
Change A Child's Story!
🎉2020 CASA of Lea County Volunteer Advocate Award Winners🎉
Pictured from left: Maggie Reed, Rookie of the Year Award; Rachel Trevino, Ursula Wilcox Volunteer of the Year Award; and, Billie Charo, Extra Mile Award
Things looked a little different last week when our 2020 CASA of Lea County Volunteer Advocate Awards were presented. Due to the ongoing pandemic, we were unable to host our annual Volunteer Appreciation party, nor were we able to honor our award winners with their families and fellow CASA advocates in attendance. However, it was still a meaningful moment with our honorees and CASA staff present and on-hand to recognize and celebrate three stand-out CASA advocates.
Billie Charo, of Hobbs, was the recipient of the Extra Mile Award. Billie has been a CASA advocate since May 2016. She has served the child in her case for almost four years. He has had two judges, eight workers, and five placements over the years. Throughout this time, Billie has been the only consistent presence in this case. Billie has advocated strongly for her CASA child. She has fought for his education when the Albuquerque schools wanted to expel him. Both a judge and the CYFD attorney have commended Billie on her efforts for this child, and said that Billie always has very up to date and pertinent information and excellent recommendations.
Rookie of the Year Award honors went to Maggie Reed, of Eunice. Maggie has been a CASA Volunteer Advocate since April 2020. Maggie hit the ground running when she completed her training. She has two children in her case. The young man in the case has been a run away and incarcerated in juvenile detention. Maggie has covered every base she could to keep up with this young man. Her court reports have been very well written and she has provided the court with important information. Maggie completes all of her work in a timely fashion. In addition, she has been a comforting figure to the younger child in the case.
Last but certainly not least, the prestigious Ursula Wilcox Volunteer of the Year Award was bestowed upon Rachel Trevino, of Lovington. Rachel was sworn in as a CASA Advocate in November 2018, and jumped into her duties with both feet and never looked back. Presently, she is assigned to her second case and has served five children in total. Rachel always goes over and above in her casework. She makes herself available to not only the children she serves, but the parents, foster parents, CYFD workers, etc. She has shown up at school to make sure her kiddos have class birthday parties; she has lent a helping hand to an overwhelmed mom during visits; she brings new caseworkers up to speed on the details of her cases; she makes sure to check out new foster homes when kids are moved to make sure that they have what they need and are comfortable in their ever-changing environments. Rachel is known to be a kind and compassionate person, but she is also not afraid to ask the hard questions, and if necessary, to be the lone voice in the room that is unafraid to stand up and be the unpopular opinion. Her heart is soft, but she has the spirit of a fighter!
In addition, Rachel always enthusiastically volunteers to help with the many fundraisers and activities that are going on at CASA. She also has graciously helped new volunteers with report writing and provided Spanish translation for other advocates. Quite simply, Rachel makes her case top priority, and it has shown in all she does!
The CASA of Lea County staff is humbled to honor these three amazing volunteers who represent each one of our advocates, whom we are so grateful for and so very proud of. Each and every one of our Volunteer Advocates is a wonderful blessing to our organization and to our community. From the bottom of our heart we thank you for your time, energy and commitment to the children that you serve. You matter and you make a difference!
With so many children currently in foster care we need to make this Spring’s online Volunteer Class our biggest one yet. We want/NEED every child to be able to have that one constant adult that’s with them and hears them. If you feel this might be a good fit for you, message us your number and we’ll call and answer all of your questions. Let’s get these little ones into a permanent and safe home. #CASAofLeaCounty #CourtAppointedSpecialAdvocates #UnitedWay #Advocate #Volunteer #HobbsNM #LeaCountyNM