Hopkinsville and Christian County will soon be home to a new program designed to help children in the community affected by child abuse and neglect.
Virginia Erxleben will act as the executive director of CASA, or Court Appointed Special Advocates, and she says the advocate is appointed by a judge to offer support to a child that is involved in the court system until they find a permanent home.
She says the advocates are there to make recommendations to the court about what services and care would be best for the child and there are currently 374 cases of dependency, child abuse and neglect in Christian County. They will eventually take on 10 additional volunteers to serve, along with Erxleben.
She says former County Attorney Mike Foster played a huge role in bringing the program to the county.
Hopkinsville Police Officer Rico Rodriguez serves as the CASA board chair and says the program will greatly help children in need. He says the organization will gladly accept donations, as it will be funded through donations and grants.
There will be a swearing in ceremony and reception on January 29 at 3 p.m. at the Christian County Justice Center to introduce the program to the community.