14 April 2023
TOPEKA (KSNT) – The Court Appointed Special Advocates, or CASA, of Shawnee County held its annual volunteer appreciation banquet Thursday night at the Topeka Civic Theatre.
CASA recognizes and thanks its volunteers annually for the work they provide to help kids in need. The mission of CASA of Shawnee County Inc. is to utilize volunteers to advocate for the best interest of children and youth involved in the court system.
“CASA is a group of volunteers that work in the juvenile court system and help the child in need of care cases,” Debra Billingsley said, the executive director. “They help the families and the child have a voice in the court.”
The guest speaker for the evening was Honorable Penny Moylan a Shawnee County District Court judge.
“I think you, as CASA workers, are in such a unique position to be able to foster hope in children,” Honorable Moylan said. “They know you are there because you care about them. You are in the greatest position to offer them hope. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you for the work you do, I see you, I hear you and I thank you.”
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Those recognized during Thursday’s banquet included:
Josh Welch – Volunteer of the year
Kim Young – Rookie volunteer of the year
Della Swoyer – Rookie volunteer of the year
Judge Moylan was appointed to the bench in 2019. Prior to her appointment, she spent 17 years in the private practice of law, worked as a Senior Research Attorney for a Kansas Supreme Court Justice and served as a Deputy Disciplinary Administrator.