CASA of Cameron and Willacy Counties to Host Harlem Ambassadors Basketball Tournament

By HEATHER CATHLEEN COX
Staff Writer
Reporter@sbnewspaper.com

“Last year we had close to 1,800 confirmed cases of abused children in Cameron and Willacy Counties,” said Richard Alaniz, executive director of Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Cameron and Willacy Counties.

There are 71 CASA programs in the state of Texas, Alaniz confirmed. “The 71 programs make up Texas CASA. Texas CASA is a part of National CASA. We’re big,” said Alaniz of the State of Texas, “but we’re that big because we have that many abused kids. These children are not out of sight and out of mind. They are very much a part of a special court system which is called the Child Protection Court.”

Alaniz shared that, to many citizens, the Child Protection Court is scarcely known. To the children CASA serves, however, the court is a place they know all too well.

When children are removed from homes where abuse and neglect occurs, Child Protective Services (CPS) intervenes. “CPS is the agency of custody,” Alaniz said. “They are the authority, and in these cases, the paramount focus — believe it or not — is to reunify (children) with their families.”

After a child is removed from their home parents must undergo a series of events before it is possible to be reunited with them. Before a reunion is possible Alaniz stated that parents must take parenting classes, submit to drug tests, obtain employment and go to counseling.

“If parents do comply within one year then the kids are reunified with the family,” he said. “If the parents do not comply with court ordered instructions the court has no choice but to rule on termination of parental rights.”

The trauma of enduring abuse is separate, however, from the trauma experienced when a child is removed from the only home they’ve ever known, Alaniz explained.

CASA steps in by utilizing community volunteers who are sworn in as special advocates to the children while they remain in foster care. “The kids are removed from homes, and the court places them in foster homes,” said Alaniz. “Our volunteers speak up for their best interest in court.”

“We are in desperate need of volunteers,” Alaniz expressed. “There is an increase in child abuse cases in our area.” He said the only way CASA can adequately serve the children is to acquire more volunteers. “The people who do volunteer make a big difference in the life of a child,” he said.

To become a volunteer, an individual must be 21 or older and submit to a background check. The individual must apply and be interviewed, and qualified applicants will complete 30 hours of training. “This requires courtroom observation,” said Alaniz, “so (the volunteers) can see what goes on.”

Children range in age from infants to 18-years-old, after which they age out of the system. “CPS will assist with the transition of aging out of the system,” Alaniz said. CASA of Cameron and Willacy Counties currently serves approximately 215 children but has only 65 volunteers.

The monthly time commitment for volunteers reportedly varies but usually consists of 10-15 hours.

To raise funds CASA is teaming with the Harlem Ambassadors to host a Comedy Basketball Show on Wednesday, Feb. 4 at 7 p.m. at the San Benito High School Gymnasium. Student tickets can be purchased in advance for $7 or at the door for $10, and general admission tickets are $10. All proceeds go to benefit the abused and neglected children served by CASA.

“The idea here is to have family entertainment,” said Alaniz. “It is entertaining basketball, and these folks basically help out nonprofit organizations. The Harlem ambassadors were happy to come to San Benito,” he said. The Harlem Ambassadors promote a message that encourages children stay in school, implement healthy living practices, and say no to drugs.

Team CASA will be made up of coaches, city and school administrators and local clergy. “We should have an interesting team,” Alaniz said.

He encourages everyone to show up and support the community as well as the CASA mission. He also encourages interested parties to consider volunteering to assist CASA and the children they serve. Alaniz is grateful for the support of the community and said, “Thank God there are still more good people in the world than (there are) bad people.”

For more information, call (956) 546-6545.

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