This post was originally published on here
CASA seeks volunteers to support children in Northeastern Pennsylvania, hosting film events next week to inspire community involvement and advocacy.
WILKES-BARRE, Pa. — When a child is going through abuse or neglect, the world can be a scary place. The nonprofit group CASA trains volunteers to support children through their time in the dependency court system.
“Our advocates are able to provide best interest advocacy to make sure children are safe, secure, and given the opportunity to thrive,” said Jade Levi, Senior Director of Operations at CASA of Wyoming Valley. Each year, CASA of Wyoming Valley and CASA of Lackawanna County serve nearly 200 children across Northeastern Pennsylvania. But employees say there are still hundreds of kids waiting for a volunteer to speak up for them. “Our goal is to serve as many children as we can who can benefit from having a CASA volunteer, so in order to do that, we need more volunteers,” added Levi.
Next week, CASA is hosting two community events to recruit volunteers. The group will screen the movie “Brave the Dark”. Executive Director at CASA of Wyoming Valley, Ryan Schofield, described it as, “a film about a teacher who steps in and helps a student and sort of becomes a hero in an unexpected way.”
After each movie screening, the film’s producer and CASA employees will host a discussion, hoping to get out the message that anyone can be a hero to a child. “We look at our advocates as having an opportunity to be regular people who are heroes to children in need,” said Schofield.
The screenings are Tuesday, February 24, at the Wilkes-Barre Think Center, and Wednesday, February 25, at the Dietrich Theater in Tunkhannock. Both screenings are at 6 p.m., and they are free and open to the public.
