A Court Appointed Special Advocate, or CASA, is a volunteer from the local community who has shown interest in helping children and has been trained to represent the best interests of child(ren) in court. A CASA volunteer is appointed by a local judge when a child is declared by a judged to be in need of services (CHINS), or when allegations of child neglect and/or abuse are substantiated. CASA volunteers have small workloads, most only taking on a single case at a time. More seasoned volunteers may take up to three at a time.
CASA volunteers are trained to give their unbiased child-focused feedback based on direct contact with the client and case history. A CASA volunteer builds a relationship with the children they are assigned by spending one-on-one time with them. The volunteer will attend Child and Family Team Meetings and court proceedings so they can represent the child’s best interest in important conversations throughout the life of the case.
Born and raised in Shelby County, Beverly attended The University of Indianapolis to pursue her degree in Education. Beverly taught elementary school for 35 years. Since retiring, Beverly works with her daughter at Elegant L’s formal wear in Shelbyville. Beverly was inspired to become a volunteer after a friend’s influence and encouragement. Beverly became a CASA a little over a year ago and enjoys meeting the children and forming bonds with them. She loves to see a case through to a happy ending. When Beverly was younger, she took flying lessons.
Bill retired from the United States Postal Service and was looking for other ways to volunteer when he stumbled upon CASA. He has been an active volunteer for 5 years. Bill also volunteers at other community organizations including; The Flat Rock River YMCA Camp and with The Shelby County Players. Bill enjoys volunteering and loves knowing he makes a difference to the children he advocates for. Bill has a long history of volunteering. When he was younger, he volunteered for the Wayne Township Fire department as a volunteer firefighter and EMT. During his volunteer years, Bill was able to assist a mother giving birth to her child. Bill claims this was one of the coolest experiences of his life.
Gina is a 53 years old married mom of three grown children. She lives on a farm and enjoys spending time with her family, her friends and her pets. She became a CASA because she wanted to help children in need. She has been a CASA volunteer since May of 2020. She loves helping children and being a part of a group that is making a difference in Rush County. In her off time, she loves to go antiquing.
Justin enjoys spending time with his family and his dog, Bandit. Justin is one of our newer volunteers, he has been with the program since late 2019. He is very eager to start helping children in our community. Justin wanted to become a CASA after his family experienced a positive influence by another CASA. He likes the depth of involvement and becoming part of a child’s life. Justin is a jack of all trades working 5 part time jobs. He works in multiple departments at Major Hospital and also works as a butcher.
Karen is the mother of four children. She enjoys spending family time with all of them. She also enjoys genealogy. She could spend her time simply walking graveyards. She also loves helping others as much as she can. Her youngest son was in foster care and he had a CASA. After going through the steps with him, she realized that all children need someone to stand up and speak for them in court. Karen has been a CASA since May of 2018. She mostly loves being able to be that voice for her kiddos. She enjoys helping with all events. “Just to see those beautiful kiddos and know you matter to them means the world.” Karen loves playing with toys. She and her three-year-old get along really well, building blocks and legos, playing farm and games. Karen enjoys any toys that make noise. She is the one to go into a store and play with all the toys!
Debbie was involved in education for 41 ½ years. She has three daughters, three son-in-laws, twe granddaughters, five grandsons, and only one husband, of course. She enjoys watching dance and sporting events that her grandchildren are involved in, gardening, and spending time with her family and friends. Her longtime friend, Linda Simmons, told her about advocating for children after she retired from education. She thought it would be a way to help children. After signing up to volunteer, Debbie has been involved with CASA for 5 ½ years. She loves being able to see the children grow while in healthier, safer situations. One fun fact about Debbie: she played in a Texas Hold-em tournament at a Casino.
Diane has been married to Mark Stanley for 36 years. They have four children and six grandchildren. She taught elementary school for 33 years, with 28 of those years in kindergarten. She is very active in her church family worship center. She was retiring from teaching and looking for something else to volunteer for. She has always loved children and advocated for what is best for them, so CASA seemed a good fit for her. Diane has been with CASA since the summer of 2017, so it is coming up on five years. She enjoys interacting with the children and feeling like she can be a voice for them. In her off time, she and her husband love to travel. They have chaperoned several high school trips to Europe and Australia. She has also traveled to Israel and China.
Nancy Newton lives in Rush County and has for the majority of her life. She has been married for 19 years, and has one son and one daughter-in-law. She teaches 7th Grade math at Knightstown and she is also a Health Coach. She has been volunteering as a CASA for about three years. She taught special education for 16 years and has seen several students in need of someone to advocate for them through the DCS process. She felt that she could make a difference. Her favorite part of being a CASA is making a difference for the most important component in a DCS case (the child), because even though they are the most important they have the least amount of input (as a minor child). She loves to deer hunt, use the crossbow, and shoot her gun. She says most people do not believe this about her.
Deb was born in 1960. She has one brother and five sisters. She has one son, who was born in 1980. Both of her parents are deceased. Deb grew up in Rush County, in Glenwood, Indiana. She is currently married with three step-children. She worked in the medical field until 1982, then she started working at the Ford plant in Connersville, Indiana. She worked there for 27 years and was very active in the union as a union time study, until she retired due to her health. She is disabled due to her heart disease and rheumatoid arthritis. She is a very outgoing person who loves to be around people and children. She is currently raising her 17-year-old grandson Jayden. She has a personal history of abuse as a child. She had no one she could open up to about the abuse. She didn’t let it ruin my life because she accepted the fact it was not her fault. This allows her to be a mentor and good listener. She wants to help a child going through abuse or neglect because she has been that child. Deb was just sworn in as a CASA in December of 2019. The part of the job she enjoys the most is being a mentor to the children. She hopes to make a positive impact on a child’s life. She loves to cook and bake. She also loves to grow flowers and work in the yard. Raising her grandson keeps her young.
Brittany is the oldest (and only girl!) of five siblings. Her parents were 16 when she was born and both struggled with addiction for the next 14 years of her life. As each of her brothers were born, she became more and more “motherly” to them. Although life was sometimes difficult, those trying times have molded her into the person she is today. She is very passionate about BEING the difference in a child’s life and she is proud to say it’s easy for her to empathize with children in need, because she has been there. Seeing a child “sur-thrive” is the most priceless treasure in life. She often wondered “why me? Why couldn’t I have a ‘normal’ family?” Years later, she heard about CASA… and everything clicked. Enduring a troubled upbringing, trauma, and relentless negative feelings had framed her. Maybe she was meant to bear those burdens so she could one day help or, possibly, even prevent that for other children. Worth it! She has been volunteering for CASA since June of 2018. The feeling of having a purpose, making a difference and being there for children who, sometimes, have no one else is the best part of being a CASA. Fun fact: she once flew a 4-passenger cargo plane by herself, upside down!
Ramona Wilkinson was born in 1942 in Muncie, Indiana. She graduated from Yorktown High School in 1960. She married Darrel Wilkinson in 1964, and has two daughters and two granddaughters. Ramona taught school briefly before becoming a stay-at-home mother. She helped her husband with their printing business and owned a bridal shop in Rushville for 18 years, and one in Connersville for 5 years. She worked and retired from Wal-Mart for 25 years. Her hobbies include reading mystery novels, sewing, arts and crafts, and gardening. She also enjoys taking road trips in their 1966 Mercury convertible and 1941 Dodge Luxury liner, and doing more traveling in Europe. Ramona is active in her Beta Sigma Phi sorority, Order of the Eastern Star, in Rush County. She is active in the chorale and on the board of Rush County. She works with the United Fund, does tutoring at the Rushville Elementary West School (Foster Grandparent program), and volunteers at Rush Memorial Hospital and Red Hats. She is the Vice-President of the Grand Indian Auto Tour (a chapter of their national car touring club). Ramona aaw an article in the paper about a CASA that she knew, which sparked her interest and caused her to look into the program for herself. She likes working with children and helping them navigate through their tough times to have a better life. Ramona has been working with CASA since May 17, 2016. She loves being able to make a positive difference in a child’s life and sometimes the parent’s lives, too. Fun fact: she drove powder puff races when she was first married at Mt. Lawn (before she had children). Bucket list items: zip-line, parasailing, and taking a river cruise to Europe.
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