(CASA & Children's Advocacy Center)
Volunteer Banquet
Dee Morton of Leonard took home the top honor of the night at the recent Volunteer Banquet of the Fannin County Children’s Center. Dee was named the CASA Volunteer of the Year for her work in advocating for abused children in foster care. Stephanie Wood and Marta Schreiber, both of Bonham, were given special pins to commemorate ten years of service as CASA volunteers. Amber Simpson of Dodd City earned her five year pin. Three year service pins were given to Gary Duncan of Trenton, Leslie Ottmo of Windom, Jo Ransom of Bonham and Morton.
Board President Melanie Grammar welcomed the volunteers, board members, staff and their guests to the banquet at Legacy Ridge Country Club. She praised the agency’s volunteers for their dedication and devotion to children.
Executive Director Sandy Barber talked about some of the challenges facing the organization, board and volunteers in the past year. She praised them for never giving up, no matter how heartbreaking the challenges were.
CASA Program Director Joyce McGehee and CASA Casework Supervisor Sandy Hood both described Morton’s volunteer efforts before presenting her with the top award of the evening. Sandy talked about Dee’s first case which was particularly difficult and did not have an ideal outcome. Joyce talked about how Dee recently went shopping for a dress for one girl so that she could go to the school dance, with her dad as a chaperone.
When accepting her award, Dee was quick to offer words of inspiration and encouragement to her fellow volunteers. Regarding her first case that did not work out quite like she had hoped, she said the lessons learned there are that our community needs to be more aware of child abuse, to learn to intervene earlier and try harder the next time.
When Stephanie Wood was accepting her ten year service pin, she talked about watching the agency grow over the past ten years from a little place behind the Eye Center to what it is today, with more space and more programs for kids. In ten years, Stephanie has worked 15 cases. One case involved two sisters and lasted about nine years. The case will be officially over when the youngest one “ages out” of foster care in just a few days.
Stephanie Wood earned her ten year service pin.
CASA Volunteers
Children's Center board members
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Fannin County Children's Center
112 West Fifth Street Bonham,TX 75418 USA
Phone: 903.583.4339 Fax: 903.583.3074
Email: info@fanninccc.org