CASA of Somerset, Hunterdon, and Warren Counties (CASA SHaW) welcomes two new board members, Colleen Carolonza of Pottersville and Eliot Goldstein of Warren, who have joined the organization to share their experiences, their expertise, and their passion for the mission to serve more abused and neglected children and to help raise community awareness of the needs of children in the foster care system.

Currently, there are more than 350 abused or neglected children in the tri-counties’ court and welfare system. CASA SHaW recruits and trains community volunteers to work one-on-one with these children, advocating for their best interests. Essentially, CASA volunteers “speak up” for these children in the court and child welfare systems, making sure they are safe and well-cared for, are getting the services they need, and are placed in a permanent, safe, nurturing home as quickly as possible.

Carolonza, a long-time Somerset County resident, has a deep and abiding care for children in need. Goldstein, a Rotary volunteer and local attorney, shares the concern that Carolonza and the other members of the board of trustees have for vulnerable children in need of a voice. “As an attorney, I am well aware of the need to keep the courts informed so that no one falls through the cracks of the system. CASA SHaW looks out for the most susceptible in our community, the abused and neglected children,” says Goldstein.

CASA of Somerset, Hunterdon, and Warren Counties welcomes these new members to the Board of Trustees. As a nonprofit corporation, CASA’s Trustees work closely with the program’s staff to ensure compliance with a variety of laws, regulations, and fiduciary duties while also securing sufficient funding to fulfill the organization’s mission. Carolonza and Goldstein join twelve other trustees, all caring community members who are donating their time to ensure the sustainability and accountability of CASA SHaW. With three existing board members rotating off at the end of this fiscal year, the Board is currently recruiting new members.

CASA of Somerset, Hunterdon, and Warren Counties is part of a statewide network of community-based, non-profit programs that recruit, screen, train and supervise volunteers to “Speak Up for a Child” removed from home due to abuse or neglect. CASA is the only program in New Jersey that uses trained volunteers to work one-on-one with children, ensuring that each one gets the services needed and achieves permanency in a safe, nurturing home.

Visit casashaw.org or call 908-689-5515 for more information about CASA of Somerset, Hunterdon, and Warren Counties.