RUSK —  With a recent explosion of court cases involving children, the Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children (CASA) is in desperate need for more volunteers.

According to the organization's website, CASA volunteers are appointed by a judge to watch over and advocate for abused and neglected children. The voluenteer's duty is to make sure the child does not get lost in the overburdened legal and social service system or in inappropriate group or foster homes.

“There were 69 children removed from their homes in Cherokee County in 2010 due to abuse and/or neglection,” said Lee Ann Millender, director of CASA of Trinity Valley, which encompasses Cherokee, Anderson and Henderson counties.

Millender said in 2011, there were a total of 88 cases. She said 26 days into 2012, there are 11 cases, with 10 to 15 more pending.

Edna Haberle, program director for CASA in Cherokee County, said she currently has 16 volunteers. Each volunteer can take three cases, but a few have special permission to handle four. Each case is a family set and may have several children in the case.

“I have 65 active cases, with a total of 128 children,” she said. “It doesn't divide well — 128 divided by 16 — is not working. We are desperate, but we are still doing the best we can.”

The remaining cases are left for Hablerle to oversee. She said right now she has a total of 14 active cases she is working.

Haberle said the organization has received nine more cases last week.

“Of the 69 CASA programs in the state, our program which includes Cherokee, Henderson and Anderson counties ranks at number nine in the number of children being advocated for,” said Millender. “Yes, our little East Texas rural program ranks just below Dallas, San Antonio and Austin. I couldn't believe it until I saw it on paper.”

Haberle said she hopes to double her volunteers and gain 16 people who have a passion for helping children in an extreme time of need.

CASA volunteers must be 21 years of age or older and pass a criminal background check.

There are no educational requirements, but the work does come with some time constraints. Haberle said volunteers must attend court once a month, which is usually held the first Friday of each month, and they must visit their children a minimum of once a month, although more time is encouraged.

Volunteers must also complete a training course that takes between 30 and 40 hours, Haberle said. Darla Costlow teaches the course and it runs Monday through Friday. She said this is usually the most conflicting time for people who work nine-to-five jobs.

“Sometimes people might have to work or miss part of a day, and she will come in on Saturday or Sunday, or whenever, to finish up the hours,” Haberle said. “She will help them get them in.”

Cases can be open for a year, and the family may appeal for an extension of six-months, and because of this, CASA volunteers are asked to commit a minimum of one year to the program.

Haberle said this is important for children because their representative may be the one thing that does not change for them in a trying time. She said placements, schools, caseworker and therapists may change, but the CASA representative remains stable.

 “We give them that one steady person that they recognize throughout the case, and that is really important because it is one piece of stability in a totally unstable world for them,” she said. “It's comforting I think for them to have the same person, because they do move around. It's just terrible.”

Billie Hopson, board member, said the volunteer may only be in the life of the child for a short time, but they can make a big difference.

“They are an important person in this child's life, and they can make a difference in their life, for their entire lifetime,” she said.