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Maryland CASA Launches Black History Month Campaign with Feb. 16 Town Hall Meeting and Recruitment Drive for Black Volunteers
Posted February 3, 2012
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TOWSON, Md. - African Americans comprise approximately 30 percent of the state's population, yet black children make up 74 percent of children in foster care. To raise awareness about the overrepresentation of black children in the state's foster care system and the need for more black volunteers to advocate for children, Maryland CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) Association has launched a Black History Month campaign.
Town Hall Meeting
The non-profit will host a town hall meeting, entitled The Impact of Race on Child Welfare, Thursday, Feb. 16, from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m., at Goucher College's Kelley Lecture Hall. Oronde Miller, senior associate with the Center for the Study of Social Policy, will discuss the factors that contribute to children entering foster care and possible reasons why children of color are overrepresented and have poorer outcomes than white children.
"I welcome the opportunity to talk with CASA volunteers and the public about the role they can play in improving the welfare of children," said Miller, who previously served as chief of staff at the Maryland Department of Human Resources.
Miller's professional experience includes direct service, program development and management, community engagement as well as child welfare and educational system reform efforts. He also was involved in urban public school system reform efforts addressing race, cultural socialization, teacher training and institutional bureaucracy. A Howard University graduate, he authored Facing the Rising Sun: Perspectives on African American Family and Child Well-Being.
The meeting is free and open to the public, but space is limited and pre-registration is required. For more information or to register, call 410- 828-6761 or visit
http://www.marylandcasa.org/raceandchildwelfa....
Volunteer Recruitment
In order to help those children in the foster system, Maryland CASA aims to recruit a minimum of 28 new black volunteers - one for each day of February.
"We are very fortunate to have over 1,200 volunteers serving as advocates for children and youth throughout the state - but our volunteer pool does not reflect the disproportionate number of African American children in the foster care system," said Ed Kilcullen, state director for Maryland CASA. "Our volunteers reflect the diversity of the state but not the children we serve."
Profiles of several current volunteers are featured at
http://www.marylandcasa.org/Volunteer_Profile... as a way to highlight their work on behalf of children. Additionally, Maryland CASA has formed a partnership with Civic Grind, a social enterprise that provides affordable business solutions to black-led business and nonprofits. It also will reach out to black sororities and fraternities, as well as business and civic groups to assist in recruitment efforts.
While this month's campaign targets African-American volunteers, Kilcullen stresses the need for volunteers of all races. "Research has demonstrated that the involvement of a caring adult in the life of a child can greatly reduce a child's risk of many social problems, such as teenage pregnancy, delinquency and adult criminal behavior."
"As a CASA volunteer, a person has the chance to be a powerful voice for change in a child's life," added Kilcullen, noting that the organization has a great need for male volunteers to serve older youth.
Maryland CASA Association is a private, non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to ensuring the rights of all children to safe, permanent homes. This mission is carried out in partnership with 15 local CASA programs throughout the state, which recruit, train and supervise volunteers appointed by the court to serve as advocates for children under court protection due to abuse and neglect. Currently, CASA serves children in 19 of the state's 24 jurisdictions. For more information, visit www.marylandcasa.org.
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