Court Appointed Special Advocates of Middlesex County (CASA) will host its firstVolunteer Recognition Reception Jan. 19 at Sayreville Middle School, 800 Washington Road.
CASA recruits and trains community volunteers to advocate for and work one-on-one with abused or neglected children. Volunteers “speak up” for the children in the court and child-welfare systems, making sure that the youngsters are safe and well-cared for, getting the services they need, and that they are placed in permanent, safe, nurturing homes as quickly as possible.
The following Middlesex County CASA volunteers will be honored at the event: Kathleen Eskin, Lisette Ramos, Melissa Tozzi, Michele Lefkowitz, Neil Patel, Nicole James and Raghav Ganeshamurthy, all of Edison; Jayne Munkasci Grandes, Marianne Greenwald and Sandra Giorgi, all of Metuchen; Betsy Capp, Gloria Nadler and Nancy Landau, all of East Brunswick; and Laurene Brown and Leena Saini, both of Monroe.
Guests at the reception will have the opportunity to participate in a tricky-tray auction. All proceeds will benefit CASA of Middlesex County.
There are 434 children in Middlesex County who have been removed from their homes because of abuse or neglect. CASA continues to serve more of these children each year, and the need for volunteers continues to grow as more children enter the child-welfare and court systems. Volunteers do not require any specific educational or professional background. The only requirements are compassion, objectivity and a commitment to children.
Interested individuals should log on to http://www.casaofmiddlesexcounty.org or call 732-246-4449.