‘We see this every day’

By Ashley Landis
Staff Reporter

May 02, 2008 10:35 am

— The case of nearly 400 children from a polygamist sect in Eldorado who have been taken into protective custody following allegations of abuse has surprised and shocked the nation.
But a court advocate for children says local residents might be surprised to know that there are hundreds of youngsters facing similar battles for their safety – and for their very lives – right here in Hays and surrounding counties.
“This has kind of been an eye-opening experience for Texans, but we see this every day,” said Eloise Hudson of CASA.
Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) has helped more than 200 abused children so far this year in Hays, Comal, Caldwell and Guadalupe counties, and 550 more still need advocates.
CASA matches volunteers to abused or neglected children as they go through the court process.
Volunteers, or advocates, are called upon to get to know the child, the parents and anyone else in the child’s life, like teachers and mentors, and ultimately testify in court as an un-biased third party, Hudson said. Advocates gather information to figure out what’s in the best interest of the child.
“Imagine if you were a five-year-old and had been abused and you were entering the court process. You’d need someone to help you,” Hudson said. “We’re called the eyes and ears of the court.”
Volunteers are required to commit at least one year to a child, but short-term volunteers are also needed for fundraising.
One child is assigned to each advocate, Hudson said.
“At CASA we only have one child to one volunteer, so we can only serve as many children as we have volunteers,” she said.
CASA provides all necessary training at no cost to the volunteer, and no specific educational background is required, said Hudson.
“This is a great opportunity for people who are seeing this (the Eldorado children) and saying, ‘What can I do to help?’,” Hudson said.
To volunteer for CASA, contact CASA of Central Texas at 392-3578 or (830) 626-2272.