CASA says goodbye to Harris, hello to new volunteers
By Glynis Crawford Smith
The Highlander
Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) for the Highland Lakes Area will bid farewell to executive director Kristen Harris with a come-as-you-are goodbye party from 4-6 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 3.
But until her departure, Harris knows just what she will be doing for the organization she has directed for the last three years.
“We have another advocate volunteer training class beginning Tuesday, Aug. 1,” said Harris. “Until my last day here, I will be doing all I can to spread the CASA mission.”
The local CASA serves more than 250 children from Blanco, Burnet, Lampasas, Llano and San Saba with a current count of just 75 volunteers. Those volunteers shepherd children that have entered the court system through Child Protective Services, explaining what is going on, defending their interests and even helping find little things foster parents cannot provide.
“Working at CASA has been wonderful because, as executive director, I have had a front-row seat witnessing humanity at its best,” she said. “It is so refreshing to know there are still people out there willing to give so much of themselves to help those in need.
“I have been involved in child welfare for more than 12 years and our volunteers are the cream of the crop,” said Harris. “Their passion and dedication to abused and neglected children has honestly brought me to tears on many occasions. I hope to leave here and be half as inspiring to others as our volunteers have been to me.”
Harris, who holds a masters degree in social work, will return to CPS. She worked there for eight years in different capacities to serve abused and neglected children before joining CASA.
“I will work with families by helping facilitate meetings in which critical decisions are made to keep children safe,” she said. “My return to CPS is bittersweet, but I look forward to taking what I’ve learned at CASA and applying it to my new position at CPS.”
The board of directors of CASA for the Highland Lakes has been conducting a search for a successor to Harris, but no decision had been announced as of Wednesday, July 19.
New training classes will be held from 5:30 -9 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays through Aug. 30 in the Sylvester H. Reed Memorial Building, 402 East Jackson Street, in Burnet. For more information, call 325-388-3440 and visit the website, www.highlandlakescasa.com.
