4th annual Light of Hope Breakfast is September 6th

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 4^th 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.