Sprinkle named 2019 National CASA Volunteer of the Year

The Northeast Georgia Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) recently received national recognition after one of their volunteers, Jeff Sprinkle, was named the 2019 CASA Volunteer of the Year.

Sprinkle is the volunteer in-service coordinator for Northeast Georgia CASA.

The CASA Volunteer of the Year award recognizes a CASA Volunteer who has made significant contributions to promoting the best interest of children who have experienced abuse more than they have love; and who supports the CASA program in their own community.

During the National CASA Conference, Sprinkle spoke about how important it is to show every child dignity, grace and respect.

“Respect, dignity and grace are the first three words I write on the inside of my file folders for new cases. As a CASA volunteer, I’ve learned to respect each and every child by acknowledging their personal story; dignity reminds me that I must represent a child in a way that honors them; and grace gets us through those tough times when a child just the needs the simple reassurance that someone is on their side,” Sprinkle said.

The Northeast Georgia CASA serves Hart, Elbert, Madison, Oglethorpe, Franklin, Stephens, Habersham and Rabun counties.

According to statistics cited on the Northeast Georgia CASA group’s website, “every day in the United States 1,900 children become victims of abuse or neglect. And out of those 1,900 children, four will die.

Court Appointed Special Advocates or CASA for children is a network of 951 community-based programs that recruit, train and support citizen-volunteers to advocate for the best interest of abused and neglected children in courtrooms and communities.

Volunteer advocates, such as Sprinkle, offer judges the critical information they need to ensure that each child’s rights and needs are being attended to while in foster care.

Volunteers stay with children until they are placed in loving, permanent homes.

For many abused children, a CASA volunteer is the only constant adult presence in their lives.

To learn more about CASA visit www.northeastgacasa.org or call 706-886-1098.