More than 300 children in Onondaga County are in the foster care system, and Onondaga CASA, a local nonprofit, is working to find each child a permanent home.

Onondaga CASA, which stands for Court Appointed Special Advocates, provides guidance and support to find homes for neglected and abused children. The organization will host its first annual “Voice of Hope” dinner Saturday at 6:30 p.m. at The Genesee Grande Hotel in Syracuse. The dinner is a shift from the past fundraising tradition called the “Light of Hope” breakfast.

“What we do as CASA is (we) try to keep the court informed and advocate for the best interest of the children in hopes of them obtaining permanency and a safe home as early as possible,” said program director Stefanie Savory, who supervises volunteers and the administration.

Savory said the program also supports parents and children with what they may need before moving into a permanent placement, such as formula, clothes, sheets, furniture, food and school supplies.

The nonprofit came to Syracuse in 1997 as a program under the Center for Community Alternatives. As of Jan. 1, the organization established itself under the governing umbrella of New York State CASA.

“I think what had happened was, the CASA program in the past has had the breakfast as its fundraiser,” said Natasha Wilbur, the vice chair of the advisory board at Onondaga CASA. “And this year with Onondaga CASA being a stand-alone agency apart from the CASA of New York State, they decided to really try and incorporate a larger fundraiser for the year.”

With its necessary restructuring and reorganization, Wilbur said the “Voice of Hope” dinner is something fresh and new that signifies a new chapter for the nonprofit.

The organizations will hold a silent auction of items contributed by the community, such as paintings from local artists, signed books, gift baskets from wineries, hotel accommodations and Disney World passes. A live auction will follow with other contributions.

The event’s entertainment will feature cocktail hours, a live DJ and auctions as well as people from the community at the fundraising event, including Syracuse University men’s basketball head coach Jim Boeheim; assistant coach Allen Griffin; and marketing manager Mike Bristol. Syracuse Legends host Eric Devendorf and former Syracuse star and NBA player Lawrence Moten will also be in attendance.

Onondaga CASA recruits veterans to be “Friends of the Court.” They are trained as community volunteers and appointed by Onondaga County Family Court judges to provide information about children in foster care. Volunteers go through a 30-hour extensive training to commit to the organization.

Volunteers meet with the child at least once a month and communicate on a regular basis with schools, medical providers and their biological family. They eventually submit a formal report to the court providing a description of needs and concerns, like the child’s school behavior, educational needs and presence of medical attention.

“One of the things that’s really important about CASA is our volunteers stay with the children the entire time they’re in care,” Savory said. “A lot of children are relocated to different homes for various reasons while they’re in foster care, but the CASA volunteer remains (as) the same advocate the whole time.”

Published on October 16, 2017 at 9:57 pm

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