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Through its dedicated volunteers, CASA gives abused and neglected children a voice in the courts, navigates them through the child welfare system, and helps ensure they are placed in safe, permanent homes.
"Everything that I've done has led me to this place," says Leah Varnell, executive director of CASA of Jefferson and Gilpin Counties. "I knew from a very early age that I wanted to help people." Only recently did she realize the influence her upbringing had on her career choice.
Throughout her childhood, her parents fostered hundreds of children in Littleton, providing them a short-term home immediately after they were removed from their biological homes. Varnell started her 20-year career in the non-profit sector after she graduated from Colorado College with a B.A. in sociology.
Eight years ago, when she read about a new non-profit called CASA starting up in Jefferson County, she was attracted by the opportunity to help build a program from the ground up. In addition, the work aligned with her personal mission of helping children and contributing to the community she lives in. She started as the manager of the volunteer program. Today, she is the executive director.
CASA's key challenge is creating public awareness of the epidemic need for protecting our children. Last year, there were more than 400 cases of abuse and neglect — involving nearly 1,000 kids — in Jefferson County alone.
The nonprofit's other major challenge is recruiting more volunteers. Its current pool of volunteers serves 15 percent of new cases. Varnell's vision is to have a CASA advocate for every case of neglected and abused children.
"By far, this is the hardest volunteer role I've ever seen people take on," Varnell says. "There's a huge emotional element." A volunteer interacts with one child or sibling group about 15 hours per month over an average case length of 18 months. Through regular, meaningful contact with the volunteer, the child learns there is someone in their life who listens and truly cares.
Reflecting on the positive impact of every CASA volunteer, Varnell concludes: "Every day I see kids and their families in desperate situations. It's rewarding to see how one person can make a huge difference in their lives."
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Local Vacation — Mountain biking, hiking and picnics with my family at Green Mountain, Deer Creek and other Jeffco parks.
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Published in the West Chamber Resource Guide 2009 Best of Business Directory & Magazine, an annual publication of The West Chamber Serving Jefferson County.
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