CAPstone Director Debi Fitts and CASA Director Kathy Welfl were Tuesday morning's guests on KNEB's News Extra program.
CAPstone
and CASA will hold the 4th
annual Light of Hope breakfast on September 6 at 7:00 a.m. at the
Gering Civic Center. Both non-profit agencies advocate for children
who’ve been abused or neglected but in different ways. CAPstone
is one of seven Child Advocacy Centers in Nebraska, and covers the 11
counties of the Panhandle. State Legislature mandates the use of
accredited Child Advocacy Centers for all cases of child sexual
abuse, serious physical abuse and/or neglect, children who witness a
violent crime, domestic violence, or are recovered from a kidnapping
or meth lab. These child victims are brought to CAPstone, where they
are interviewed by trained forensic interviewers, in a child friendly
environment. Their interview is recorded, so they only have to tell
their story one time. CAPstone also has a full-time Child Advocate
who helps keep track of the case so the child is not “lost” in
the system. “Our goals are to reduce the trauma suffered by a
child during an investigation, to increase successful prosecution of
child abusers, and to
assume
a proactive approach to child abuse prevention through education,
training and networking.” Said Debi Fitts, CAPstone Director.
CASA stands for Court
Appointed Special Advocates. CASA trains volunteers to advocate for
children in the Juvenile Court System who are victims of abuse or
neglect. CASA Volunteers meet and talk to the children in the cases
to which they are appointed and express a child’s wants and needs
to a County Judge through written reports. CASA Volunteers are the
eyes and ears of the Judge outside the court room and the voice of a
child in the court room. “CASA Volunteers have been instrumental
in helping to shorten the length of time a child spends in foster
care or in out-of-home placement.” Said CASA Director, Kathy Welfl.
CASA Volunteers work with Health and Human Services, Guardian ad
Litems (the child’s attorney), foster parents, parents and other
parties to help ensure the best possible outcome for children of
abuse or neglect.
The breakfast raised over
$16,000 for each agency last year. “This event raises a
significant amount of our annual operating budget; community support
for child advocacy is outstanding. But more importantly the event
raises awareness and those who attend have a better understanding of
why CAPstone and CASA are so valuable in our communities.” Said
Welfl.
Fitts and Welfl said that
over half the revenue for the event is raised in advance through
sponsors. Any business or individual interested in becoming a
sponsor can contact CASA at 672-2922. The rest of the proceeds come
from guests who attend the breakfast. The breakfast itself is
complimentary; however there is an opportunity to make a good will
donation. Anyone interested in attending the breakfast can contact
Kathy Welfl at 672-2922 or Debi Fitts at 632-7274. The guest speaker
for Light of Hope this year is Dr. Peter Meyer; this year’s event
will also include a brief program by area children. Some of the
decorations for the event are being made by area pre-schools.
