<lst>Fairfax Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) is recruiting community-minded citizens to volunteer as advocates for children whose families have been cited for abuse or neglect by the Fairfax County Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court. The role of a CASA is to investigate a child’s situation and to advocate in court what is in the best interest of the child. All volunteers undergo training to prepare them for this role, and no prior experience in child welfare is required. To learn more visit www.casafairfax.org, call Fairfax CASA’s recruitment and training manager at 703-273-3526 or e-mail lmorley@casafairfax.org. The public is welcome to attend the upcoming Thursday, April 28 or Tuesday, May 10 orientation sessions to learn more. Orientation will be from 7:30-9 p.m. at 4103 Chain Bridge Road, Suite 200, Fairfax.
Make a difference in a child’s life and become a mentor with CHAMPS. Mentors in this program are volunteers who provide children of prisoners in Northern Virginia with friendship, recreational activities and constructive example. Contact Ellen Klene at 703-533-3302 Ext. 107 or eklene@cmhs.org for more information.
The Great Falls Optimist Club is a child-centered non-profit organization that focuses its activities on supporting, encouraging and challenging children to reach greater heights. A voluntary organization, the club is always interested in welcoming new members and volunteers. Among the many annual projects sponsored by the club are the Fall Festival and Fourth of July event in Great Falls. In addition, the club has raised funds for: providing local learning centers with mentoring support, money and equipment to address the needs of learning and emotionally challenged students; supporting local youth and sport groups through donations; providing local families with needed meals and gifts during the holidays; contributing to Special Olympics, Operation Smile, a floating dental charity performing plastic surgery for children of third world countries, and Habitat for Humanity; supporting the Analemma Society in its efforts to establish an astrological education facility at Turner Farm Park; contributing to Turner Farm Park; honoring local police and emergency personnel; and much more.
If interested in joining the Great Falls Optimist Club or volunteering at specific events, contact T.R. Cook, president, at 703-938-5885 or cooksphotoart@aol.com, or Angela Bongiorno, membership co-chair, at 703-759-2925 or angela.bongiorno@verizon.net.