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Health & Fitness

HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS "CAMP OUT FOR CASA" TO SHOW SUPPORT FOR CHILDREN IN FOSTER CARE IN ESSEX COUNTY.

High School Students in Essex County are joining forces to raise social awareness about the challenges faced by foster children in our community.

Students from James Caldwell, West Orange and Montclair High Schools will give up their beds for one night to show support for the thousands of children in our community without a safe and permanent home. This youth-led event will raise social awareness about the challenges faced by foster children in our own neighborhoods and the work of volunteers who are dedicated to improving their futures.

 

According to Rachel Simon, Essex County CASA Assistant Director for Development, “Most people do not know that the child welfare situation in our county is dire and that Essex CASA has been working with the Family Court for over 25 years to improve outcomes for thousands of children. CAMP OUT FOR CASA was developed to raise awareness of the problem and how CASA can help. Although Essex CASA serves more children than any other CASA program in NJ, we also have the highest percentage of unserved children. We must do more and for that we need the community to help.”

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CAMP OUT FOR CASA will take place in Mayapple Hill campgrounds in the South Mountain Reservation on Friday evening ,May 3, 2013.The first ever event of it’s kind will host up to 150 participants. “Our hope is that our first year will be so successful that it will become an annual event with high schools from throughout Essex County taking part,” Simon continued.

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CAMP OUT FOR CASA will feature a program designed to educate participants on the subject of child abuse and foster care while drawing the attention of a wide-spread audience within the broader community. The event will raise awareness of CASA’s mission and amplify the message to the community: that ordinary people can be heroes by making a difference in the life of a child.

 

Ethan Meth, a senior at James Caldwell High School, is the founder of the “Camp Out for CASA” concept. He modeled this new community service project after his extensive experience as a student organizer for ACS Relay for Life” and Newark’s Healthy Kids Food Festival. Ethan will be the head student liaison and project leader for “Camp Out for CASA. CASA staff and board will provide logistical support and collaborative guidance, however all programmatic features and event activities will be student-designed, student-driven, and student-led. “With 35% of the children served by Essex County CASA being teenagers, CAMP OUT FOR CASA IS a chance for teens to help teens,” Meth continued.

 

Essex County CASA is a non-profit organization which works through professionally trained and supervised volunteers to promote the welfare of children in Essex County who have been removed from their homes because of abuse, neglect, or abandonment.

CASA serves as a child’s “Voice in Court,” working to insure that needed services and assistance are made available while helping to move the child toward a safe and permanent home.

Essex County CASA would like to thank Freeholder, Len Luciano and the Essex County Parks Department Daniel Salvante and Frank Gesumaria for their assistance.  

Contact:

Rachel Simon, Essex County CASA, (973) (973) 693-6785, rsimon@casaessex.org

Kim Meth,Essex County CASA Board of Trustees 201-513-0217 tlpromo@gmail.com

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