Honor CASA’s 30th Anniversary

Senate Resolution No. 749 BY: Senator O'MARA COMMEMORATING the 30th Anniversary of Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) of the Southern Tier, Inc. WHEREAS, A great community is only as great as those persons and organizations that provide exemplary service, whether through participation in voluntary programs, through unique personal achievement in their profession or other endeavors, or simply through a lifetime of good citizenship; and WHEREAS, This Legislative Body is justly proud to commemorate the 30th Anniversary of Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) of the Southern Tier, Inc.; and WHEREAS, For three decades, CASA of the Southern Tier, Inc. has diligently worked to recruit and train volunteers to advocate for the best interest of abused and neglected children in Family Court; and WHEREAS, CASA of the Southern Tier, Inc. defines its target population as those children in foster care, or at risk of foster care, who are the subjects of ongoing Family Court Article 10 Abuse and Neglect proceedings; children assigned are of any age between birth and up to 21 years of age, any gender, ethnicity and income level; and WHEREAS, CASA is an unduplicated service program which provides trained volunteers who represent the best interest of abused/maltreated children in Family Court proceedings; CASA of the Southern Tier, Inc. is one of over 900 programs nationwide, with a core of more than 85,000 volunteers advocating for children's right to a safe, secure and permanent loving home; and WHEREAS, In New York State, there are 18 local programs covering 30 counties with approximately 600 volunteers that serve over 3,000 children; currently, CASA of the Southern Tier serves children in Family Court within Chemung, Steuben and Schuyler Counties averaging 25-35 volunteers a year while serving between 75-120 children; and WHEREAS, CASA of Chemung County, Inc. began when the New York Task Force on Permanency Planning and the Junior League of Elmira approached the Chemung County Family Court about the benefits to be gained using CASA volunteers in Family Court; in 1994, the agency expanded services to Schuyler County, and in 2002, CASA expanded into Steuben County, and formally became CASA of the Southern Tier, Inc.; and WHEREAS, For 30 years, CASA of the Southern Tier has strived to ensure every child is in a safe, secure, and loving home; and WHEREAS, The success of CASA of the Southern Tier is in direct correlation to the efforts of its staff, whose involvement is, and always has been, characterized by an impressive commitment, an unbridled enthusiasm, and an uncompromising standard of excellence in all endeavors on behalf of the institution and the community it serves; and WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body that when individuals and organizations of such noble aims and accomplishments are brought to our attention, they should be celebrated and recognized by all the citizens of this great Empire State; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to commemorate the 30th Anniversary of Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) of the Southern Tier, Inc.; and be it further RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be transmitted to CASA of the Southern Tier, Inc.