Planting a Seed
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After starting CASA Texarkana 30 years ago, Judge Jack Carter looks forward to many more years of advocating for children
by AMBER SMITH ZALISKI
photo by ALAMOND PHOTOGRAPHY
CASA: Court Appointed Special Advocates for children is a community organization dedicated to alleviating the abuse and neglect of children: a person willing to volunteer his or her time and talents to help a child in need.
Since its inception in 1990, the mission of CASA Texarkana has remained the same: to provide hope, healing, and justice for abused and neglected children in our community. What started as a need, and an idea, and a small group of like-minded people willing to help, CASA Texarkana has grown and developed for 30 years because of hardworking volunteers and unwavering community support.
The largest fundraiser for CASA, the 14th annual Songwriters on the Edge of Texas Concert was held last April. Pictured with CASA Executive Director Brandy Eldridge (center) are: Joey Elliott, Maureen Fletcher, Jessica Kelley, Misty Honea, Malenda Cree, Kaleigh Dodson, Carly Rhyne, Marlene Magallon and Meah Wilson.
In 1990, 5th Judicial District Judge Jack Carter, returned home from a judicial hearing conference with an idea. Having sat on the bench since 1981, it was an idea he had been in search of for some time. “When you have a responsibility to hear cases of alleged child abuse and neglect – it is a huge decision for the judge. It is going to have a huge impact on the child’s life,” he said. “The first concern is always that the child is safe, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that everything is okay. There is so much to consider. An attorney is there to protect the legal rights of the child, but that doesn’t cover it all. I worried a lot if I was doing the right thing, the best thing and what would happen afterwards. That was the void.”
Allie Graves, CASA Executive Director Brandy Eldridge, Judge Jeff Addison and Judy Morgan during the CASA Women of Hope and Courage Luncheon this past September. The Women of Hope and Courage serve as ambassadors for children victimized by abuse through increasing community awareness, promoting advocacy, and financially strengthening the coordinated efforts of Texarkana Children’s Advocacy Center (TCAC) and Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA for Children).
At the conference, a speaker talked about similar concerns and a program that seemed promising. “The whole idea was that the court would train volunteers whose only interest was the best interest of the child,” Judge Carter said. “The volunteer, a Court Appointed Special Advocate or CASA, would be a voice on behalf of the child.” Luckily, Judge Carter knew who to talk to when he returned home and soon had several people ready and willing to serve. “We were able to get some info and start very small, with just a few volunteers in the beginning. To tell you the truth, I just planted the seed. A lot of other people did all the hard work.”
Over the next several years, our local CASA organization expanded into Cass County and later into Arkansas, and it continues to grow. “When we first started, it was new of course, nobody knew what you were talking about,” Judge Carter said. “We have had so much community support throughout the years, and it has far exceeded my expectations. I have been so delighted to see how the program has expanded and the other services they offer, but training the volunteers is still the central idea. I have never seen a case where having a CASA volunteer wasn’t helpful.”
Today, CASA of Northeast Texas Inc. provides services to abused and neglected children throughout eight counties in Northeast Texas and Southwest Arkansas as appointed by presiding judges. Currently about 350 children are served each year, and CASA’s Executive Director, Brandy Eldridge, is passionate about the work they are doing and their vision for the future. “Ultimately, I would love to work myself out of a job,” she said. “Our end goal is an end to child abuse, and I believe that is attainable - eventually - through more education, more awareness.”
Judge Jack Carter, Pete Snow, Jerry Thomas and Tom Moore participated in CASA’s Songwriters Golf Tournament last year.
In the more immediate future, Brandy hopes to see that every child has a volunteer, which is currently not always possible. Right now there are about 75 active CASA volunteers locally, and each case requires about 10 months on average. Brandy would love to double the number of volunteers. “Through no fault of their own, these kids have their whole lives turned upside down, and we want to see that each child in that situation has a volunteer to walk by their side, to make sure they are heard and that their best interest is at the forefront,” she said. “These are everybody’s kids, and this is an issue that is important and very real. Most importantly, there is something we can do about it.”
As we collectively step into a new decade and CASA Texarkana continues to fulfill an essential role in our community, Brandy looks back at the growth of the organization in awe. “If someone like Judge Carter hadn’t stepped up and taken a chance, and if we didn’t have the community support that we’ve received, we wouldn’t be here 30 years later,” she said. “Judge Carter has changed thousands of lives since he started this. It humbles me, and I’m honored to be a part of it. I would love to know that everyone – every single person in our community – knows who CASA is, and they know what we do, and they know that everyone can be a part of our mission, even in the smallest of actions.”
For 30 years (and counting), volunteers and staff for CASA Texarkana have worked to advocate for children who have been victims of abuse and neglect. While the work may be hard at times, it is always worth the effort, and for most it comes down to answering a couple simple questions: “If not us, who? If not now, when?”
Eighteen volunteers, their families and Judge Jack Carter were honored during the inaugural CASA’s first Volunteer Appreciation Dinner. Pictured are: Judge Carter, Linda Remer (executive director) and Judge Bill Sheehan (guest speaker).