Cupertino resident sworn in as advocate for foster youth
Volunteers act as go-betweens for children, courts.
Advocating for foster youth
Volunteers from Morgan Hill to Mountain View were sworn in Sept. 19 as Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) through Child Advocates of Silicon Valley, a Milpitas-based nonprofit.
The swearing-in ceremony, presided over by Judge Shawna Schwarz, capped a training process where 22 volunteers from nine South Bay cities learned how to serve as the go-between for children in the foster care system and court officials. Cupertino resident Mary Rose Klein is among the new CASA volunteers.
Volunteer training consisted of 30 hours of self-paced courses and presentations, both online and in person, that covered topics like child development, the dependency court system and inclusionary practices.
“We are continuously improving our pre-service training,” said Child Advocates CEO Frederick J. Ferrer. “This training included a lived-experience panel, which allowed our CASA candidates to hear firsthand perspectives from a current CASA, caregiver, social worker and former foster youth.”
The new CASA volunteers were well placed to address the needs of the foster children on Child Advocates’ waitlist, with five bilingual Spanish-speakers and seven advocates who identify as male. The nonprofit is seeking to recruit more males, bilingual Spanish-speakers and Hispanic volunteers.
To register for volunteer training, visit https://childadvocatessv.org/volunteer.
Valley’s haunted history
The Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority is hosting an Oct. 6 Zoom webinar on the haunted history of some local Santa Clara County sites, as told through stories of people who had otherworldly experiences while visiting these sites.
The webinar starts at 12:30 p.m. Register at Eventbrite.com for the Zoom sign-up link.