The Bergen CASA Bulletin: March 2023
2022 Impact
Despite the pandemic, and its attendant challenges, Bergen CASA championed our foster kids helping to ensure they had all of the support they deserve!
Highlights include:
- 96 Advocates supported 130 foster children (100% of Bergen county’s eligible foster children)
- 98% of Advocates’ recommendations were accepted by the family court judges
- 5,349 hours volunteered (including driving over 18,000 miles)
- 404 family court hearings attended
- Over 300 fully-stuffed backpacks distributed
- Over 250 children received birthday gifts and holiday toys
- 44 families were provided with essential baby supplies including diapers, formula and wipes
- Advocates spent over 687 hours on in-service training
These numbers do not reflect the day-to-day activities our advocates undertake, for example:
- spending weekends writing court reports,
- taking work personal days to drive long distances to visit foster child, and
- answering emergency phone calls at night or in the early morning hours from a runaway, going to meet and persuading the child to return.
