Over 50 kids wait for CASA advocate

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTHI) - Over 50 children in the Wabash Valley wait for your help to keep them safe.

News 10 first told you about the overwhelming number of children the Department of Child Services is seeing, which means the DCS is now relying on one volunteer program more than ever to help oversee these children.

Melissa Reed and Dale Luchsinger of Vigo County are both CASA volunteers. They're volunteers assigned by the court system to be advocates for children who have been abused or neglected.

However, there's one problem. There's not enough volunteers, like Dale and Melissa for the growing number of children coming into the Vigo County CASA program.

There's around 53 children currently on a waiting list for a CASA volunteer. It's the longest waiting list this county has ever seen and the number is increasing every week.

This figure a direct correlation with what the Department of Child Services is seeing. The bad economy and drug related cases have shot up considerably for CASA since September 2009.

"It's very important to the community, I think to get involved with children who need your help," CASA volunteer Dale Luchsinger said.

Luchsinger and Reed both have several children they;re advocating already and they said it's frustrating to see other children not get the help they need or deserve.

"Being a mother, it's very tough to see what these kids are going through, but I also think it shows the need that these kids have to find a trusting adult they can trust and that will help them," CASA volunteer Melissa Reed said.

Vigo County CASA typically has 2 volunteer training sessions each year, but this year they've bumped it up to 6 training sessions hoping to fill the growing need .

In fact, the next training session begins in April. If you're interested in volunteering or donating items to the organization click here .

Now, these figures just reflect the Vigo County CASA program, but News 10 found other CASA programs in the Wabash Valley desperately needing volunteers, as well.