Last Week's Program, March 14: CASA and Harmony House

On March 14^th, Annette Hoyt and Alli Hummer provided an excellent program on the CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) program in Larimer County.  This is a nationwide program that began with one judge and several friends.  The judge thought that juveniles in his court were falling through the cracks and wanted to have someone fight for them.  This is done through community volunteers.  A volunteer will likely spend 8 to 10 hours a month with a child but will know their wants and needs and explain to the court their side of the story.  The court system is geared to solve issues with the parents, but has traditionally had less focus on the needs of the children.  The Harmony House (next to the Intel Facility on Harmony) is a location for CASA and their advocates where the children and parents are allowed to be together under supervised observation.  There were lots of questions and the topic was well received.