Court Appointed Special Advocates provided Marshall County with its annual report on Monday morning.
Executive Director Chastity Keller introduced herself as the new executive director of the group in Marshall County. She has been serving as the organization’s leader for the past three months.
Keller says this year alone, they’ve seen plenty of new children come to them through the courts.
“As of October 1st this year there have been 47 new children who have been identified as abused, neglected, or in need of services,” says Keller. “That is the size of two average classrooms.”
Keller was a volunteer for four years prior to taking over as director.
CASA advocates for children in the Marshall County court system that have been abused or neglected. According to Monday’s annual report, volunteers in Marshall County have donated more than 1,800 hours to CASA’s cause.
Marshall County has advantages other counties may not, having a guardian that is appointed to every court case in the instance volunteers are unable to handle the work load.
Keller gave a few comments on taking over the director spot in Marshall County.
“I am honored to be the director of CASA of Marshall County and hopefully with community support, we will continue to make a difference in the lives of children in our community,” says Keller.
CASA says they are in need of additional volunteers and will be hosting a training session on February 16th. So far, Keller says they’ve had a handful of people express interest.
Court Appointed Special Advocates has served Marshall County for the past 15 years.
