(COLORADO SPRINGS) — Ten new Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) and six new Supervised Exchange & Parenting Time (SEPT) facilitators were sworn in as officers of the court at CASA of the Pikes Peak Region’s swearing-in ceremony on Monday. 

The ceremony took place at the El Paso County Courthouse and was presided over by 4th Judicial District Judge William Bain. It was the final step taken by these community volunteers after weeks of training which covered topics like trauma, resiliency, poverty, mental health, substance abuse, domestic violence, and the role of the CASA volunteer.

“The people that become CASA volunteers are the ones in our community, they don’t just see a sad story and say ‘oh I wish that could change’,” said Keri Kahn, Communications Manager with CASA. “They’re the types of people who stand up and say ‘I can help make that change.’ They’re the types of people who take action and the action they take truly changes the lives of children.”

Each new advocate will be appointed to an open Dependency & Neglect case by a judge, so that they may speak up for a child and ensure that child’s best interest remains front and center during court proceedings.

The new SEPT facilitators will now facilitate court-ordered supervised parenting time for children and their non-custodial parents in the CASA Family Center. 

CASA said they are still in need of new volunteers to support children in El Paso County. Those interested can visit casappr.org/volunteer to learn more, and to RSVP to the next Volunteer Information Session on Thursday, Dec. 15.

The Information Session will be held from 12 p.m. – 1 p.m. at the CASA office, located at 418 South Weber Street in Colorado Springs.