You may have spotted a billboard along the Tahoka Highway just past FM 1585, as part of a statewide CASA campaign. CASA stands for Court Appointed Special Advocates. If a picture speaks a thousand words, then this young mans big blue eyes are a constant visual reminder for folks to speak up on behalf of a child suffering at the hands of an abuser.
"Unfortunately our region places among the highest in the state for confirmed victims of child abuse, and those are very disheartening numbers because you think a small, or a smaller conservative community like Lubbock wouldn't have this issue, and yet we have some of the highest numbers of confirmed child abuse in the entire state of Texas," says Rose Carkeet Development Director for CASA of the South Plains.
Carkeet says Lubbock County CASA is currrently serving 530 children, however 197 of them still need a volunteer to step up. To put those numbers in perspective, CASA of the south plains serves 5 other counties in addition to Lubbock.
If you're interested in volunteering, here's the requirements: Potential volunteers have to be at least 21 years old, pass a criminal background check, and go through an interview process as well as 30 hours of training.
