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February 12, 2015 VOLU M E 1 2 0 | I S S UE 2 | 7 5 ¢
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Full-time library director post cut Kari May will be leaving at the end of this week By Rick Gustafson
Special to Colorado Community Media
molished,” he said. “It puts everyday worries into perspective, in comparison to a young kid whose world is upside down.” Often, a child’s advocate is the most consistent person in their life, Bryant said. The child can always rely on their CASA, she said, whether it’s spending time together as a trusted friend or as a confidant to discuss any issues the child may be experiencing at the foster home or school. “You try and talk to them as much as you can — find out how things are going,” Gedeon said. “It makes a big impression on them to see a stranger who cares.” CASA is the only volunteer opportunity written into law, Kunz said. Therefore, advocates receive court orders that allow them access to relevant information to best help the child, she said. Such information includes details on therapy sessions, and school, medical and court records. The written reports, which are submitted by a child’s advocate at every court hearing, Kunz said, often are the “main vehicle for advocacy in the courtroom.” “CASAs really get to know these kids. You help the judge and lawyers make the choices that are in the best interest of the child,” Bryant said. “Sometimes you’re the only one in the courtroom who really knows the child.” Closing the communication gap is key to being an advocate, said Josiane Edy, a CASA volunteer since 2007.
Citing budgetary matters, the Pines and Plains Library District Board of Trustees voted 3-1 on Jan. 28 to eliminate the fulltime director position, meaning Kari May’s job will end Feb. 13. The proposed change had been the subject of a special meeting on Jan. 12, and the board followed up with the vote at its regularly scheduled meeting. Susan St. Vincent, board president, said the board convened the special meeting to address bud- May getary concerns that came to a head in December. “At that December meeting,” she said, “it was brought to the board’s attention that during the financial broker’s effort to refinance the Elizabeth Branch building loan, there was only one bank interested in taking on the risk of this loan.” Financial projections point to continued deficits within the district through 2021. The board cited a number of factors — including declining property tax revenues and disappointing fundraising results — tied to the district’s continuing deficit, a deficit that has forced it to rely on proceeds from the sale of the old Elizabeth Library and the Carlson Building to supplement revenues. “We are choosing to be proactive in this situation and not waiting until it is a ‘crisis’ beyond recovery,” St. Vincent said. “The board is committed to continuing servicing our patrons at the present level; this is a priority.” In the past, the board has implemented other efforts to ease the strains on the district’s budget such as a reduction of branch service hours and employee working hours. St. Vincent anticipates that the refinancing of the Elizabeth Branch building and the elimination of the full-time director position will eliminate the requirement for additional cuts in the near future. May has been the public face for the district since she moved to Elizabeth to accept the job as the district’s full-time director in 2008. During her tenure, May oversaw two upgrades to the library district’s cataloguing systems, the relocation of the Elizabeth Library from East Main Street to its present location on Beverly Street, and the rebranding of the district from the Elbert County Library District to the Pines and Plains Library District last fall. May also held the position as the president of the Colorado Association of Libraries (CAL), serving as elected president, president and past president under the organizations three-year leadership structure. CAL membership is made up of librarians, library employees and other institutions that support intellectual freedom, offers professional development, and provide the opportunity to network with librarians and civic leaders. In a news release issued after the meeting, the board expressed its appreciation for May’s service to the district and wished her good luck in her future endeavors. “Ms. May has brought a high level of
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Yolanda Bryant wrote “One Child at a Time: The Mission of a Court Appointed Special Advocate” with the hope that the book will lead others to volunteer for CASA. In the book, Bryant tells Kelly’s story. Kelly is a 3-year-old girl that Bryant championed as she went through the foster care system. She is pictured here with her canine companion, Abba. Courtesy photos
‘The voice for the children’ Court-appointed volunteers help youths traverse the foster system By Christy Steadman
csteadman@coloradocommunitymedia.com
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They are managers of fraud investigations, homemakers and customer-account and marketing managers. But to the children they are assigned, they are a friend to play video games or watch movies with, a tutor for homework help or someone to take them to the park or mall. Most of all, they are a trusted adult the child can talk to. They are Court Appointed Special Advocates. “CASAs have no other reason to be there except for the kid,” said Kevin Gedeon, a CASA volunteer since spring 2012. “They’re always good kids, but they are in the worst imaginable situations.” The advocates are volunteers appointed by a judge or magistrate to children involved in a dependency or neglect case, said Kristen Kunz, 18th Judicial District CASA program director. The case will involve either imminent risk of harm to the child or familial struggles. Poverty is not considered a struggle, Kunz said, but may go hand-inhand with challenges that do qualify — physical, sexual or substance abuse, mental illness or domestic violence. The process begins once a court case is triggered, Kunz said, and a child is entered into the custody of social services and placed in a foster home. An advocate is matched with a family, generally, within 60 days of the case opening. The advocate stays with the family until the case closes, she said, which averages about 12 to 18 months. The Department of Human Services works to help get families back on track, Kunz said, and advocates do a lot of the legwork investigating what is in the child’s best interest. “It’s easy to think that once a case is in the courts, everything just takes care of itself,” said C.J. Whelan, Centennial city councilmember, District 4, “but that is far from the truth.”
A reliable presence
CASA provides the resource that helps the child as they traverse the system, he said. Advocates are “the voice for the children in the foster system,” said Yolanda Bryant, a CASA volunteer since 2006. “We are those children’s advocate until they are reunited with their families or are adopted by a new, forever family.” It’s hard on children if they are placed into a strange home, or if they have been abused by a parental figure, Gedeon said. “Their whole world has been completely de-
Yolanda Bryant has been a CASA volunteer since 2006. She wrote the book, wrote “One Child at a Time: The Mission of a Court Appointed Special Advocate” with the hope that the book will lead others to volunteer for the organization.