By Leslie Dunn, State Director of GAL/CASA | Office of Court Services
The State Office of GAL/CASA held its 24th annual conference (virtually, for the first time ever) on September 26, 2020. Over 1,100 program staff and volunteers attended the event—a record-breaking number! The “Do Something Small to Change Something Big” conference featured four inspiring and educational plenary speakers.
Ashley Rhodes-Courter shared her personal story as a former foster youth and the impact her CASA volunteer had on her life and in helping her get adopted. Charlie Appelstein, author of No Such Thing as a Bad Kid, spoke about understanding and responding to kids with emotional and behavioral challenges using a positive, trauma-informed, strength-based approach. Author Ricky Kidd shared his unfathomable story of resilience as a man who was exonerated and released from prison after serving 23 years for a crime he did not commit. Ricky also discussed race equity and cultural competence and emphasized the importance of adults taking the time to have positive interactions with youth. Dave Pelzer— author of several books, including the best-seller, A Child Called It—shared his painful but inspiring story of severe abuse, from which he was rescued due to the kindness of caring adults.
This year, Kelly Shelhamer, Executive Director of the Scott County program, received the CASA Director of the Year award. She was nominated by Judge Marsha Howser, the Scott County Community Foundation, and her staff. Kelly took over and transformed the struggling CASA program over the course of several years. CASA of Scott County has significantly increased the number of children it serves, its funding, and its imprint in the community.
Allen County CASA David Peppler received the Volunteer of the Year award. He has volunteered for six years, and during that time, advocated for a young man named Erson, who came to the United States from Haiti when he was 12 years old as a legal permanent resident. Erson had no documentation of his status and could not obtain a driver’s license or a passport. David worked with immigration officials and successfully navigated the complex process of confirming Erson’s legal permanent resident status and then helped Erson obtain U.S. citizenship. Today, Erson is a college student in Fort Wayne and wrote a moving letter supporting David’s nomination and thanking him for the impact David has had on his life.
In 2019, Indiana had certified CASA programs in 86 counties with 4,500 trained volunteers, and staff who advocated for 24,340 children in the system due to allegations of abuse or neglect. The Office of Court Services administers the State Office of GAL/CASA—providing funding, training, and support to GAL/CASA programs around the state.
To help do something small to change something big, like improving the life of a child, please support your local GAL/CASA program by helping them to recruit additional volunteers. Programs are still recruiting and training volunteers during the pandemic.