Pictured are CASA Board Chairman Rayma Daugherty, newly appointed CASA volunteer advocate Sharon Petro, Honorable Judge Bill Jones, newly appointed CASA volunteer advocate Milessa Dunlop, CASA Executive Director Jan Jones and CASA volunteer advocate CJ Jubenville.

By Charlotte Underwood 

JACKSBORO, TN (WLAF) – -CASA of Campbell County (Court Appointed Special Advocates) had two court advocates sworn in by Campbell County General Sessions Judge Bill Jones on Friday morning. 

Milessa Dunlop and Sharon Petro signed papers and were sworn in, bringing the CASA advocate total to six. Both women have experience as advocates in the past.

“This is an exciting day for CASA. we are honored to have two volunteer advocates sworn in by the Honorable Judge Bill Jones. This means more children that are going through the court system for abuse and neglect will have  someone to be a voice for them in court,” said CASA Executive Director Jan Jones.

Newly appointed advocate Milessa Dunlop said when she lived in Florida,  she had been a children’s advocate for 14 years. She signed up to volunteer in Campbell County because she “knew how much good it can do in this community.”

Newly appointed CASA advocate Milessa Dunlop was sworn in by General Sessions Judge Bill Jones on Friday.

“I know how much it can help these families, these children; the need for volunteers is great,” Dunlop said. 

For CASA advocate Sharon Petro, she’s returning to a role she she did previously about 10 years ago. Petro has a background in early childhood. 

“There’s a need there and I can do this. Children can’t always express themselves and being in these circumstances, they are often going through something traumatic and may not be able to verbalize; they need a voice. So the children are not unrepresented; that’s where CASA comes in,” Petro said. 

CASA advocate Sharon Petro was sworn in by General Sessions Judge Bill Jones on Friday morning.

These court appointed advocates will then be assigned to children who are going through the court system for various reasons such as child abuse and/or neglect cases. An advocate gets assigned to a child and follows the case from beginning till the case closes.

It’s “so very important for children to have an advocate as they go through court processes,” Jones said.

“Court can be a scary place for adults, let alone kids. Every child deserves to have a voice in court,” Jones said.

According to Jones, now that advocates are trained and sworn in, they are “empowered to obtain detailed information related to a child’s case, trained to prepare a written report with recommendations for the judge and to speak for the child’s best interest.”

CASA advocates were a necessity for children going through the court system, making sure the “child had representation,” Jones said.

“I have to listen to all sides and CASA is invaluable; we use CASA a lot,” Jones said of his position as judge.

CASA Director Jan Jones said more volunteers were always needed. 

“We are just so grateful to have more people volunteer. CASA is a great organization and we’re thankful to have people volunteering their time and energy to be a voice for the children,” Jan Jones said.
CASA of Campbell County is a 501(c)(3) and was established in January of 2007. For the five years prior to that, it operated as part of a multi-county agency. The mission of CASA is “to advocate for abused and neglected children by providing them with a voice through trained volunteer advocates. These advocates ensure that each child receives the necessary services they need to be safe, cared for and protected.”

For more information about CASA of Campbell County, or to learn more on how to become a volunteer advocate contact the office at 423-562-2700 or visit the website. (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED – 04/17/2023-6AM)

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