African Americans comprise approximately 30% of Maryland’s population, yet black children make up 74% of children in foster care. Our friends at Maryland CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) Association have informed us that they’re launching a Black History Month campaign in an effort to raise awareness about this overrepresentation of black children in the state’s foster care system - and the need for more black volunteers to advocate for those children. To that end, CASA will host a town hall meeting, entitled The Impact of Race on Child Welfare, Thursday, February 16, from 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm at Goucher College’s Kelley Lecture Hall.
Oronde Miller, senior associate with the Center for the Study of Social Policy and author of Facing the Rising Sun: Perspectives on African American Family and Child Well-Being, 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.
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 click here .
CASA Volunteer Recruitment:
In order to help those children in the foster system, Maryland CASA has set a goal of recruiting a minimum of 28 new black volunteers – one new volunteer 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.”
CASA Volunteers Profiles:
You can also click here to check out profiles of several current CASA volunteers.
Profiles of several current volunteers are featured on the CASA website 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.
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