CASA Of Northeast Oklahoma Names Emily Bowling New Executive Director
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CASA Of Northeast Oklahoma Names Emily Bowling New Executive Director September 25, 2024 Emily Bowling has been named the new Executive Director for CASA of Northeast Oklahoma. Although new is a relative term when it comes toEmily Bowling and CASA. Bowling has served with CASA for 12 years, starting as an Advocate Coordinator in 2012, promoted to Assistant Director in 2014, and serving as Interim Executive Director since June of this year.Her responsibilities include the overall management of the agency and all aspects of the agency's operations in the six counties (Craig, Delaware, Mayes, Ottawa, Rogers, Washington) in northeast Oklahoma where services are provided. The service area encompasses 3,859 square miles and services are provided with a staff of three full-time, two part-time and 56 volunteers. In FY'2024, services were provided to 175 children on 95 cases.CASA of Northeast Oklahoma is a regional nonprofit court-appointed special advocate program whose mission it is to advance the welfare of northeast Oklahoma children through best interest child advocacy and family strengthening efforts that are individualized and culturally sensitive. - While my responsibilities might change now as Executive Director, my goal and the goal of CASA of Northeast Oklahoma has not. Through our traditional Court-Appointed Special Advocacy Volunteer Program or our new pilot Family Advocacy CASA Program, the goal is the same, to provide a voice for children who are going through arguably the worst time of their lives and make sure they are safe and provided with a safe, permanent, and nurturing home, said Emily Bowling.Started in May 1995 as Tri-County CASA through the leadership of Judge Dynda Post (ret.), Judge Terry McBride (ret.) and other concerned citizens in the 12th -Judicial District, which encompasses the counties of Craig, Mayes and Rogers. Now as CASA of Northeast Oklahoma it provides services in 11th, 12th, and 13th -judicial districts, which includes six counties - Craig, Delaware, Mayes, Ottawa, Rogers and Washington, plus Shawnee Tribal Court in Ottawa County. Services include both their traditional Court-Appointed Special Advocacy Volunteer Program and a new pilot Family Advocacy CASA Program. I cannot say enough about the dedicated work our volunteers and staff do each day in helping to change these children's lives. We are a team and work as a team. I want to recognize the promotion of Sandra Rains as our new Assistant Director and recent additions of Treasa Walker and Lori VanNoy as Advocate Coordinators, said Bowling.CASA of Northeast Oklahoma Services: - Traditional Court-Appointed Special Advocacy Program - CASA volunteer advocates are assigned by the court to cases of children who have been removed from their homes for abuse and neglected and placed in foster care. They investigate the circumstances of a child's case, monitoring the progress of the parents and other caregivers, facilitating needed services, and advocating for the best interests of each child. They prepare a written report to the court in advance of each hearing that provides fact-based recommendations about the best course of action to ensure the best interest of each child is honored. - Family Advocacy CASA Program - CASA volunteers will be partnered with families involved in family-centered service safety plan cases through the Oklahoma Department of Human Services. The goal is to maintain children at home with parents while they receive services, and hopefully, to prevent the need to remove children into DHS custody. - Speaking on behalf of the board, we couldn't have found a better person to be the next Executive Director of CASA of Northeast Oklahoma. She was instrumental in the past with the expansion efforts into unserved and underserved counties in the region. I am confident she will lead us in the future helping to change these children's lives for the better, said Julie Sellmeyer, Board Chair, CASA of Northeast Oklahoma.Bowling is a graduate of Oklahoma State University with a Bachelor's Degree in Human Development and Family Science: Child and Family Services and a minor in Business Administration. She began her career with the Oklahoma Department of Human Services, serving as an intake child welfare caseworker and a permanency caseworker. She has been with CASA of Northeast Oklahoma since 2012. Her interests include spending time with her family and gardening. She is an avid OSU fan!!! Our biggest challenges, as with a lot of nonprofit organizations, are raising the needed funding and recruiting enough volunteers. Unfortunately, at times both seem in short supply. Make no mistake about it, we are so thankful for our supporters, partners, staff and volunteers. Their support and dedication are inspirational and are what allows us to be there for these children in need. However, we need more volunteers and more funds so we can continue to meet the ever-growing needs. If someone is interested in getting involved, they will not regret it, said Bowling.Volunteering and Funding Opportunities: For information about volunteer and funding opportunities, visit -www.casaneok.org -or call 918-###-####. For any other questions, contact Mark Ogle at ...@casaneok.org -or 918-###-####. The CASA of Northeast Oklahoma office is located at 1222 N. Florence Ave., Suite A, Claremore, OK 74017.The CASA concept was conceived by David W. Soukup, a juvenile court judge in Seattle, Washington. Judge Soukup felt that he did not always have sufficient information to make life changing decisions about children's lives when he did not have anyone there advocating only for the child. So, a meeting was scheduled of potential volunteers who would be a voice for children facing similar circumstances, who had experienced abuse or neglect. The meeting was held, with the first CASA program starting in King County of Seattle, Washington in 1977, and as they say the rest is history. There are now 941 state and local CASA/GAL organizations and programs operated in 49 states, nearly 100,000 dedicated volunteers, and nearly a quarter of million children served annually. After retiring from the bench, Judge Soukup became a volunteer. Judge Soukup passed away on December 16, 2023, at the age of 90, leaving a legacy of advocacy that continues to today throughout the country. #J-18808-Ljbffr