BOSSIER CITY, La. (KTAL/KMSS) – Silver and blue pinwheels were lined up about the Bossier Parish Courthouse to represent the lives of Louisiana children taken by abusers during the Light of Hope ceremony.
69 Louisiana children died in 2022 from child abuse, four of them from Bossier Parish.
“There’s a lot of kids who have come through our house with experiences that my imagination could never really imagine,” Tyler Spears, CASA Recruiter, and Trainer said.
Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) is a volunteer program that works to find safe and permanent homes for children in foster care.
In Shreveport and Bossier, over 200 children are in foster care.
“There are too many kids in our system right now who just need someone to care for them,” Spears said. “They need a CASA advocate. They need foster workers who feel supported.”
CASA volunteers advocate for the children in court. Volunteers are also able to offer Trust-Based Relational Interventions (TBRI) for children to work through their trauma.
“Kids coming into foster care, they’re coming in with trauma, and that’s something that’s really hard to deal with,” Smith said.
During the Light of Hope ceremony, a poem was read by a former foster child, who has since been adopted. She read about the symbolism of a colorful paper chain, representing the many agencies working together to support abused and neglected children.
If you want to get involved, visit Volunteers for Youth Justice.
CASA is holding another Light of Hope ceremony on April 13 at the Caddo Juvenile Courthouse.
