“No matter how terrible a situation is, the whole family is in that situation; and it can be heartbreaking to see small kids in the middle of something most of us can’t even fathom. Sometimes you see an inevitable train wreck happening right in front of you but your job as a GAL is not to judge the parents but to advocate for the child.”

The need for more volunteers with the program grows every month.

“In February, 103 children from 53 families were in the system and of those, 58 children from 31 families were still in need of the services of a GAL,” Rink said. “During the month of March DSS filed a whole bunch of petitions with the court so those numbers are very likely much higher than they were in February.”

Emily Shirley is the volunteer recruitment and outreach coordinator for the McDowell County program. She began work with the office as a GAL volunteer seven years ago and has served about eight families.

“Knowing that you are giving a child the possibility of a better life than if you hadn’t been there, is incredibly rewarding. It can be a frustrating job dealing with the courts, families, DSS and all the others who may be involved in that child’s life. But, if it is frustrating to an adult you can imagine how terrible it would be for a child navigating that on their own.”