CASA IN THE NEWS

CASA of Baltimore Volunteers are
“Champions of Courage”!

Baltimore City –In commemoration of Black History Month, FOX 45 and The CW Baltimore will celebrate positive role models for Baltimore youth. “Champions of Courage” will enter its 22nd consecutive year of honoring local role models who have shared the teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with young people.

CASA of Baltimore’s CASA Volunteers Charles and Regina Harris were selected as people who keep Dr. King’s legacy alive…they have been selected as “Champions of Courage”.

Below is some of what the nomination said:
"When you meet Charles and Regina Harris individually, you can’t help but find them to be two of the nicest people you will ever meet. But we can’t nominate just one of them for the Champions of Courage award because as a married couple, a team, and Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) Volunteers for over 6 years, it is the union of their individual strengths and their individual capacities to care, dream, and achieve that makes them a powerhouse together in pursuing their passion to help children".

The Harris’s were inspired to become CASA Volunteers after being foster parents and realizing that some children still “fall through the cracks” and need a higher level of advocacy through the court system. Each CASA volunteer is assigned to support and advocate for one child or group of siblings. Because of their longevity at CASA, the Harris’s have had several assignments and because they work as a team, they have handled cases of large sibling groups as well as, cases with multiple issues and complexities. The Harris’s have worked with all ages from infants to teenagers. They manage to locate resources, support systems and services for the birth families, caretakers, or other relatives involved with the children in seemingly impossible situations. Every year the Harris’s assure that their CASA children and families have happy Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.

Their greatest reward is to have the children leave foster care to be reunited with their families or alternatively, be placed permanently with a loving family. Charles and Regina really love the process of getting to know their CASA children, establishing a relationship of consistency and support, and making the children’s needs known to the providers of service and ultimately to the Court.

Dr. Martin Luther King said, “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter”. Charles and Regina Harris through their actions will never be silent about the children!

You can see an interview with Charles and with his CASA Supervisor, Carolyn Howard, on FOX45 on February 14th at 10pm!!

Charles and Regina and 10 of their guests will also be honored at the Champions of Courage Awards Luncheon on February 21st.!!

For more information, contact Susan Burger, 410-244-1465, sburger@casabalt.org