On May 17, four new CASA volunteers were sworn in by President Judge Oliver Lobaugh at the Venango County Court House in Franklin.

The new CASA volunteers have undergone 30 hours of in-house training done by Cinnamon Evans (CASA Executive Director), Heather Faunce (SWAN Paralegal), Nancy Vantassel (ESP Director), and Virginia Sharp (Guardian ad Litem for all dependent children in Venango County).

All of these “teachers” have helped to prepare the trainees to advocate in the best interests of abused and neglected children in our county, and the CASA staff is always there to support each volunteer in any way possible.

Each new volunteer was sworn in as an officer of the court and have already been assigned a dependent child’s case. There are many more dependent children (about 100) who do not have a CASA in their corner in court.

If you are interested in becoming a CASA or have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the CASA staff at (814) 670-0550 Monday – Friday from 9 AM – 4 PM.

The photo shows the new volunteers, from left: Debbie Kimberlin, Bonnie Streyle, President Judge Oliver Lobaugh, Amanda Shaffer, and Bill Wright.

This article was published in the Venango Area Chamber of Commerce’s June 2019 VenangoWorks! Newsletter.