Retired Mountain Education Charter High School Counselor Chris Martinez has been named Appalachian Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA)’s 2020 Volunteer of the Year.
Fannin County Volunteer Supervisor Mckenzie Farris said of Martinez, “Due to her strong presence in the community, both as a business owner and as a volunteer, she is a CASA ambassador and continuously shares her CASA story to recruit volunteers into our program.”
Martinez has served as an Appalachian CASA for five years and has advocated for seventeen children in that time.
Martinez said, “I have always been an advocate of youth. I feel I have the experience, compassion and time to devote to being a CASA volunteer.”
In addition to volunteering as a CASA and working within the school system, she has also volunteered for the North Georgia Mountain Crisis Network, a local girl’s home, where she serves weekly and has implemented a craft’s night, and has been a volunteer with the Girl Scouts for 20 years.
Farris added, “She is an incredibly strong advocate for the children and families assigned to her. She knows that helping families succeed is the best way to serve the best interests of their children. When the families are not always reunited, she never fails to show genuine empathy and respect to the parents in every one of her cases.”
Appalachian CASA volunteers represent children in juvenile court proceedings within the Appalachian Judicial Circuit. Volunteers undergo 40 hours of training and are provided with necessary resources needed to protect abused and neglected children. They are then sworn in by a juvenile court judge as officers of the court before receiving a case.
Interested in becoming an Appalachian CASA? Call 706-276-2272 for more information. Training classes begin January 21 and end February 18.