CASA holds volunteer appreciation picnic

The staff of Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of the 20th Judicial District held a picnic Friday afternoon at the Beaverfork Lake pavilion in honor of CASA advocates, board members and volunteers.

CASA's mission is to provide a voice on behalf of abused and neglected children in court who might otherwise have no voice for placement in a safe, permanent home.

Debbie Kennemer of Springfield has been an advocate in Conway County for five years.

"I love what I do," she said. "I love seeing the end results, that the kids are happy and they're in a good home."

Her husband, Joe Kennemer, persuaded Debbie to go through the training to become an advocate.

Joe Kennemer said he is a retired law enforcement officer from California where he worked as a child abuse investigator.

"When I moved here I wanted to use some of those skills. I loved it," he said.

He is on sabbatical now because he works for the Menifee Police Department, and his being an advocate would be a conflict of interest, he said. However, he still provides training for CASA.

"When I first got into it, I talked to (Debbie), knowing her temperament and skills, that she would be great at it. She's a better investigator than I ever thought about being."

He said being a good investigator/advocate takes "someone who loves kids and wants to help; someone who is able to learn the judicial system, how it works. Someone who loves the end result of kids who have been traumatized (being placed) in a good, wholesome environment."

Louise Furst of Conway was on the Special Team on Prevention of Domestic Violence (STOP DV) when CASA was formed in this area. In 1998, Judge Linda Collier called her and said she was interested in starting it and asked Furst to be on the steering committee, she said. There were some problems in the beginning, but in January 2000, the nonprofit was formed. Furst served on the board for five years, she said. Furst has also become an advocate and mentored new advocates.

"It's been very exciting to watch the program grow to 40-something advocates from our original five," she said. "It's nice to see the public know what CASA means."

She added, "We have a marvelous staff. Without our advocates, we don't have a program, and they're all volunteers."

Brenda Browning of Greenbrier is an advocate who has recently been hired as advocate coordinator for Van Buren and Searcy Counties. She will continue working her two cases for six months, after which they will hopefully close, she said. If they continue, she will have to hand them off to another advocate as she moves into her full-time responsibilities.

Browning said she came to know about CASA when she adopted two boys four years ago. The brothers are now 11 and 12.

"(They) had a CASA on their case who was very instrumental in their case. I saw the huge difference that CASA makes in the lives of children going through the court system. Sometimes they're (children) the least heard, even though the case is about them."

Volunteer Coordinator Tessy Fletcher said, "Our advocates and volunteers are the heart of our organization. Without our advocates we wouldn't have a program. Without our board and Friends of CASA, we wouldn't be able to sustain it monetarily. It's because of their combined efforts we're able to serve these children, and we just want to show them our appreciation for all their hard work."

(Staff writer Rachel Parker Dickerson can be reached by e-mail at rachel.dickerson@thecabin.net or by phone at 505-1277. Send us your news at www.thecabin.net/submit)