(Stanton, MI) – On January 8, 2025, the Montcalm Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) Program held a swearing-in ceremony at the 8th Circuit Court Building in Stanton. The Honorable Judge Charles W. Simon III officiated as two new CASA volunteers, Wendy Shaw of Fenwick and Janet Wulf-Marvin of Stanton, took their oaths to serve as voices for abused and neglected children in Montcalm County.
CASA board members, current volunteers, court staff, and family members attended the ceremony to celebrate the new advocates’ completion of the comprehensive 30-hour training program required to fulfill this vital role.
“We are excited to welcome Wendy and Janet to our team,” said CASA Program Director Jamie Gorby. “We are immensely grateful for the support we receive from our agency partners and the community at large. Our primary goal is collaboration—to ensure that our children’s needs are identified, communicated, and met in the most effective ways possible.”
Montcalm CASA operates under EightCAP, Inc., a Community Action Agency serving Gratiot, Ionia, Isabella, and Montcalm counties. CASA volunteers are assigned to a child or sibling group and work to ensure that the children’s voices are represented in court proceedings. They speak on behalf of the children at court hearings and remain assigned to each case until it is closed, and the child is placed in a safe, permanent home. For many abused children, a CASA volunteer is the one constant adult presence during a tumultuous time in their lives.
For more information about the Montcalm CASA program, becoming a CASA volunteer, or how you can support the program, please contact Jamie Gorby at (989) 831-3561 or montcalmcasa@8cap.org.