Answering the Call: Welcoming 14 New Advocates in a Season of Gratitude

This fall, CASA Essex welcomed fourteen new Court Appointed Special Advocates—fourteen individuals who answered the call to stand beside children in foster care and ensure their voices are heard. Their swearing-in ceremony, our first to be held at the Wynona Lipman Family Courthouse, was a powerful reminder of what hope looks like when it takes human form. Each new advocate raised their right hand and pledged to serve as a consistent, caring presence for some of the most vulnerable children in our community.

In this season of gratitude, we give thanks for them and for every CASA volunteer who continues to light the way for youth navigating the foster care system. Their commitment embodies what it means to give back: to use one’s time, empathy, and voice to make a lasting difference.

Every new advocate strengthens our reach. Yet, as we celebrate these fourteen remarkable individuals, the need remains urgent. Nearly 600 children are currently in foster care in Essex County, and half are still waiting for a CASA of their own. These children deserve the same dedicated advocacy, stability, and encouragement that our current volunteers provide every day.

CASA volunteers are more than observers in the courtroom—they are steady hands and compassionate hearts who ensure no child is invisible. They advocate for educational support, medical care, mental-health services, and safe, permanent homes. They listen, they show up, and they don’t give up.

As one newly sworn-in volunteer shared, “I wanted to do something meaningful—something that would change a life. CASA gives me that chance.”

This Thanksgiving season, CASA Essex celebrates the advocates who have already joined our mission—and extends a heartfelt invitation to those who have not yet stepped forward. If you have ever wondered how to make a tangible impact, this is your moment. The next training class begins soon, and there is a child in Essex County waiting for someone just like you.

Because when you become a CASA, you give the greatest gift of all—your voice, your time, and your unwavering belief that every child matters.