A nonprofit that advocates for foster youth in Riverside County is calling for more men to volunteer. KVCR’s Madison Aument has more.
Voices for Children recruits and trains Court Appointed Special Advocate, or CASA, volunteers. Each volunteer is assigned by a judge to a child in foster care to help speak up for their needs and wellbeing. CASA volunteers report back to the courts.
“Having a CASA volunteer by their side who's an adult, not in their home, but somebody who gets to know them and develops a trusting rapport with them can be really, really beneficial to the child's sense that there's a trustworthy adult in their life,” said Jessica Muñoz, CEO of Voices for Children.
She says foster youth experience a lot of uncertainty, but CASA volunteers can be a stabilizing force.
In Riverside County, nearly half the children in foster care are boys, but fewer than twenty percent of volunteers are men.
Research has found that boys in foster care are more likely to thrive in school and abstain from drug use when they have a positive male role model.
Frank Diaz has been a CASA volunteer for two years.
He says sometimes it’s the small stuff… like teaching one of his kid’s to tie a tie or tossing a baseball… that makes the biggest difference.
“There's a lot of bumps for them on the road, on the journey of life, and it's good to have a male so that they can talk to and who can help guide them through all the over these bumps and experiences in life," said Diaz.
He says he spends about ten hours a month doing CASA work. Voices for Children trains and supports CASA volunteers throughout their time doing CASA work. Potential volunteers must be 21 years old and submit to a background check. For more information on becoming a CASA volunteer visit speakupnow.org.