Bowling Green, KY/South Central KY region - CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) of South Central KY, an agency that provides citizen volunteers to advocate for abused and neglected children in the family court systems throughout the region, recently announced that Barren County native Cissy Shoffner has been hired as the organization’s new Advocate Development Specialist. The role was created with funds received from the United Way of Southern KY to expand CASA services to the more than 1,000 children in South Central KY who went without services in 2018. Shoffner joins an already established staff of two Advocate Coordinators and the Executive Director.

As an Advocate Development Special for CASA, Shoffner will work to educate, recruit, train, and retain concerned citizens in Barren, Butler, Edmonson, Hart, Metcalfe, or Warren counties. She will engage community leaders, build a stronger social media presence, and in general, continue to educate the public on the CASA mission.

“We are extremely excited to welcome Cissy to Team CASA,” says Jana Sublett, Executive Director CASA of South Central KY. “She is a true representation of what we had in mind for the new Advocate Development Specialist. She is a fun-loving, driven, a natural people person, and has an extensive background in communications. We are looking forward to getting Cissy started in her new position and being part of the meaningful connections and network in South Central KY region and beyond.”

“I am so excited for an opportunity to help CASA continue the great momentum they have. I can already see what a difference CASA makes in the lives of abused and neglected children in our communities, and I look forward to sharing the mission with people who want to make a real difference in a child’s life,” said Shoffner.

The number of vulnerable children in the child welfare system continues to rise each year. The Kentucky Administrative Office of the Court (AOC) reported 1,494 cases of neglect, abuse, and dependency in the CASA service region in 2017. For community minded citizens who wish to be the voice for a child’s best interest within the court system, you can find out more about the program’s mission on their website – www.casaofsck.org.