To the Editor:

Child abuse and neglect affects children of all ages and socio-economic backgrounds. Many of these children suffer physical and psychological traumas, which can lead to homelessness or behaviors that result in incarceration. More than 60 percent of persons incarcerated at any point in time have been abused as children. According to The United States Justice Department, 1 in every 5 experience child abuse or maltreatment by the age of 18.

I am writing to make readers aware of an organization that makes a difference in the lives of abused/neglected children, Court Appointed Special Advocates, or CASA. Our advocates are trained to legally speak for children in court. Although they are appointed by the county court, their training and supervision is funded primarily by private donations to CASA.

April was National Child Abuse Prevention Month and April 20 was declared CASA Advocate Day by Governor Christie to recognize the difference our volunteers make in the lives of the children. It is CASA’s mission to be able to provide an advocate for each child who needs one. Unfortunately, in 2011, over 900 Mercer County children were in out-of-home placement due to abuse and/or neglect. We had advocates for only 214 of them.

You can help by visiting CASAMERCER.org. We invite you to watch our two-minute video to see how you can make a difference in the life of a child.

Debbi Roldan
Foulet Drive