By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great local journalism.
Superheros dont need to fly for CASA of Forsyth run
casa image

Contact

For more information about the 2015 CASA Superhero 5K Run/Walk, to register for or to sponsor the event on Feb. 21, go to forsythcountycasa.org or call (770) 886-4082.

FORSYTH COUNTY — Every child needs a hero, but abused children need a superhero.

That’s the way Court Appointed Special Advocates, or CASA, of Forsyth County see it. And on Feb. 21, they’re asking for everyone to dress the part for the 2015 CASA Superhero 5K Run/Walk at Fowler Park.

Superheroes will begin their 5K at 8 a.m., while the 1K begins at 9 a.m. The Peachtree Road Race qualifier course will spill out onto the Big Creek Greenway and is a flat, fast course from the park at the corner of Hwy. 9 and Castleberry Road in south Forsyth.

The run raises much needed funding used to train volunteer child advocates who become the voice of an abused and/or neglected child in Juvenile Court deprivation proceedings, CASA officials said.

Primary goals at CASA are to recruit, screen, train and supervise the volunteers to ensure quality advocacy for the children they serve.

Each year, it costs around $1,200 to help one child through the CASA program and about $400 to train each volunteer advocate. Last year, 85 volunteers advocated more than 5,700 hours for 229 children in the county.

“The relationship formed between a CASA volunteer and the child becomes a stable part of an otherwise chaotic life for a child in foster care,” said Janet Walden, executive director for CASA. “So often, the [Division of Family and Children Services] case managers change, therapists change, schools change and placements change for the child.

“The CASA volunteer is the one face in the crowd that is constant during a child’s journey through the child welfare system.”

The volunteer advocates serve as the child’s lay guardian ad litem and work to ensure his or her physical, medical, emotional and educational needs are met throughout Juvenile Court deprivation proceedings.

In addition to awards for the top male and female runners and top three in each age group, there will be a contest to recognize the best and most creative superhero costumes.

Entry fees for the 5K are $25 per person before Thursday. Those who register at this level will receive a T-shirt. Registration costs $35 after Thursday.

Fees for the 1K are $10 each in advance and $15 after Thursday.

New this year, participants can sign up as a team of five or more and receive a $5 discount per runner.