| Our mission | ProKids mobilizes our community to break the vicious cycle of child abuse and neglect. |
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ProKids
| Ways to help |
CASABecome a CASA (A Court Appointed Special Advocate). You'll be trained as someone who advocates on behalf of the best interest of a child in the foster care system. |
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| Ways to help youth thrive |
CASA VolunteerJill began volunteering at ProKids as a CASA Volunteer in 2010 because, she said, “I could no longer look away.” “I knew that we had a challenge in our community and I’ve been privileged to serve nine different children since I began as a CASA Volunteer,” Jill says. “I do it because I can give forgotten children like Jasmine a voice. Jasmine has been surrounded with violence. Her mother was accused of stabbing her father. And the 4-year-old had been terribly neglected. She hadn’t been to the doctor and didn’t have any immunizations. She hadn’t been to the dentist and ended up needing teeth pulled as well as needing crowns. She hadn’t been to preschool and wasn’t ready for kindergarten. The mother, who has had three other children removed from her care, was not cooperating with any services. As a CASA Volunteer, getting to know Jasmine and what she needs has been Jill’s primary focus. “We enjoy one another’s company,” Jill says. “She sees me interact with her mother, her father and with a babysitter who she knows well. She knows that I get along with everyone. That’s not something she sees all the time.” Jill and the rest of the ProKids team isn’t yet sure what is going to happen to Jasmine. But, Jill says, “I know we will get her where she needs to be. In big ways and small ways, we make sure that children are safe and secure. Whether it’s getting her registered for kindergarten or laughing over a book, we really make a difference.” |
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| How you help | Each year, hundreds of children are so severely abused and neglected that they become part of the Hamilton County child protection system. Most of these children were taken from the only family they have ever known and placed in foster care. These child victims need a powerful voice, an advocate on behalf of their best interests. This is where volunteers called Court Appointed Special Advocates or CASA Volunteers come in. In just 2-4 hours a week trained CASA Volunteers to work directly with a child to advocate on their behalf at school, with healthcare providers and for any needed therapy or other services. They also advocate in court so that the child moves to a permanent, nurturing home as soon as possible. |
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| About us | ProKids is a nonprofit agency that provides outstanding volunteer advocacy for children in Hamilton County who have been abused and neglected and, through no fault of their own, are in the court system. ProKids recruits, trains, and supports community volunteers known as CASAs (Court Appointed Special Advocates) to provide a powerful voice for these children. ProKids provides leadership and education to the community by partnering with other child protection system professionals. ProKids cultivates a committed community that provides the financial support necessary to reach more of these children and to stop the cycle of abuse and neglect. |
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