On September 9, 2022, 8 new Court Appointed Special Advocates were sworn in as officers of the court.
These volunteers completed five weeks of training which included 30 hours of class time, court observation, case studies, and practice writing court reports.
One of these new advocates was Claire Biggs. We asked Claire what she thought about her pre-service training experience:
“I thought I knew what I was getting into with CASA training, but I was wrong—in the best way. I had no idea how much CASA volunteers did or how impactful the work really was. I met seven other women in training, and they really restored my faith in humanity and my hope for the future. I’m so grateful that the children in foster care in Knox County will have them in their corner. We can’t help every child, but we can each help one at a time, and I’d trust these women to support my (theoretical) children.
As far as training goes, if you had told me hour one what I would know and be doing after hour 33, I would’ve laughed out loud. That’s how impossible it seemed. How could we learn all of this and walk away confident in our ability to take on our first cases? Well, we have Lauren to thank for that. She provided us with incredible direction, compassionate support, and actionable information all while navigating difficult subject matter. I know we were all sad when training ended. I never would’ve guessed those Monday and Tuesday training sessions would’ve meant so much to me on a personal level, and I’m so grateful I had that experience with my fellow advocates for having Lauren lead us through it all.”
CASA of East Tennessee is so grateful for each of these new advocates and we look forward to the positive impact they will have on the children of Knox County.