BUSINESS OF THE WEEK Lake Country CASA
We hope that this post finds you all safe and healthy. 💙 It’s time to introduce our next Business of the Week!!! 🥳
Lake Country CASA is an organization whose purpose is to advocate for children, in the family court system. These children have been removed from their homes as a result of abuse and/or neglect, and CASA provides them with community volunteers to speak up for their medical, psychological, educational and placement needs in the courtroom.
Gina Law, the Executive Director of Lake Country CASA, gave us some insight into what it truly means to work with CASA: “All of us at Lake Country CASA care for the youth of the community. We look at these children as the community’s children. Many of us are mothers, fathers and grandparents who truly have a heart for these children, who deserve to live in a safe and secure home.” ❤️
Our #BOTW, Lake Country CASA, has been serving as a voice for children for 30 years now. In 1990, a group of Hopkins County women got together and created LC-CASA because they saw a need to provide trained advocates for children who are victims of abuse and/or neglect. Since its beginning, CASA has grown from serving 15 children to 138 children, across Hopkins, Rains and Franklin counties! 💕
Gina Law, who we mentioned in our previous post, has been the Executive Director for 18 years. She told us that she feels so fortunate to have grown up in this community, and raise her children here as well, and she is driven to give to others what her family has received. 😊
Be on the look-out for tomorrow’s post, because we will be sharing about one of the many ways you can contribute to the awesome work that Lake Country CASA is doing! Have a wonderful Wednesday, everyone!!! 😀 #ChamberLove
*Pictured below: Gina Law, Executive Director of Lake Country CASA; Vicki Spriggs, Director of Texas CASA; Patsy Johnson, one of the local women who started Lake Country CASA
When we first told Lake Country CASA that they were going to be our Business of the Week, they were so grateful because they are currently in need of more volunteers. Gina Law, Executive Director, couldn’t have explained the importance of volunteering any better, so we want to share her words with you:
“CASA volunteers are ordinary people from all walks of life; simply caring, committed folks who work to bring hope and a voice to a child… These kids have come into the system through no fault of their own. We believe that they have a right to have a safe place to live and grow, so they can recover from their hardship and be a child again. We believe that their stories can have better endings… CASA volunteers are frequently the only stable presence in these children’s lives, as they navigate the foster care system… CASA is in need of more volunteers to stand up and speak for the abused children in our county. This is one cause where the actions of a single person can mean everything to a child’s future.” 💙
She went on to tell us that April is Child Abuse Awareness Month, and those with CASA hope that, as a county, we can all join in the effort to raise awareness and help reduce child abuse and neglect.
We feel so thankful for the opportunity to highlight Lake Country CASA, and we hope that our #BOTW posts have taken your minds off of everything else floating around on social media! Remember, we WILL get through this. Our community is a STRONG one, and as long as we stand together, we will prevail! 🥰 Have a great weekend, everyone!!!
Every year, on the first Friday in December, hundreds of delicious cookies are donated from local clubs, culinary/homemaking classes from local and county high schools, and individual members of the community for the CASA Cookie Walk. Under the direction of their teachers, the high school students spend months preparing and designing their cookies which, as Gina told us, “truly are a work of art.” The cookies are tasty, sold by the pound, and they go very quickly. This is an event that people of all ages would enjoy, so make sure you go ahead and mark your calendars for it! #BOTW #ChamberLove
