By Travis Hairgrove
thairgrove@heraldbanner.com
With April being National Child Abuse Prevention and Awareness Month, both CASA for Hunt County and Hunt County Children’s Advocacy Center have been especially busy these last several weeks, as they have worked to spread that awareness.
Naturally, they’ve also both been busy raising funds to continue their mission of helping area kids who are going through some abusive or neglectful living situations.
Last week, the Children’s Advocacy Center had its “Strike Out Child Abuse” bowling tournament and on Thursday, CASA held its second-annual “Justice is Served” dinner.
At both events, the community came out in force to support the organizations. For instance, at “Justice is Served,” attendees bid a total of $6,675 on aprons that were worn by judges, attorneys and members of law enforcement as they served that night’s barbecue dinner. The aprons were decorated with art by children who are currently in the foster care system and being served by volunteers with CASA, some of whom have been in the system for as long as two and a half years.
In addition to the fundraisers, both the Children’s Advocacy Center and CASA hosted their annual “Go Blue Day” Rally at the Hunt County Courthouse on Friday. As a result, the northwest lawn of the courthouse is now blooming with hundreds of blue pinwheels, each planted at the rally to represent a child in Hunt County who was served by either organization in 2024.
Volunteers with CASA advocate for children who have been removed from abusive homes and placed into foster care. Through their advocacy, CASA volunteers build a rapport with the children they represent and speak for their best interests throughout the case.
Meanwhile, the Hunt County Children’s Advocacy Center program is the front door for the child abuse investigation process to provide a collaborative response to children impacted by abuse.
At the various events, both organizations have re-emphasized that point that child abuse remains a significant problem across the country, state and locally.
Last year, 372,613 children were confirmed victims of abuse in the United States and 9,506 were from Texas. In Hunt County, 674 abuse allegations were investigated.
As a result, 245 children and their families received services without the children being removed from their homes, while 63 children were placed in foster care, contributing to a total of 133 children in the foster care system in the county.
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