07/04/2014
Court Appointed Special Advocates of Grant County has been operating out of a new location for about a month.
The organization moved into 303 S. Norton Ave., next to Cancer Services of Grant County, on May 22 and officially opened the new place May 27, CASA Executive Director Leslie Hendricks said. CASA had a ribbon cutting and open house on June 24.
The move wasn’t exactly planned, but it has turned into a “blessing in disguise,” Hendricks said. The former location at 904 W. Third St. was about 1,300 square feet, and the new structure is 2,700 square feet, allowing the organization room to grow if needed.
“We really have been seeing a lot more families and children, and it’s getting to the point where we’re seeing enough of them that at times they overlap,” she said. “So, for confidentiality and privacy, what we have done is we’ve moved our office part to the front where CASA was.”
After looking at multiple vacant properties, she and a special committee comprised of board members agreed to purchase the former Gary Oradat property.
“It was the first property that we took a look at,” Hendricks said. “When we walked into it, it really was already configured in a manner that would fit our needs perfectly. Very little construction was needed. It was a quick turnaround.”
Superior Court 2 Judge Dana Kenworthy attended the open house and said she was impressed with the building renovations.
Other amenities the property offers include accessible parking, Hendricks said. It’s also one-level, is halfway between the Department of Child Services and the Grant County Courthouse, where the volunteers go, and has extra office space.
“We’re so blessed,” she said. “I’ve been here for five years, and when I started we were in a single room. It kind of brings tears to my eyes because it’s a testimony to how the community has stepped up and realized what we do is valuable and that what we do affects the lives of children.”
State CASA Director Leslie Dunn, who stopped by the open house, said she was pleased with the work the Grant County organization is doing.
She said the inside of the new office is beautiful, and she especially liked how welcoming she felt by the plants, paint color, quotations and pictures on the walls. She described the atmosphere as “comforting and safe.”
Dunn said she was even more impressed, however, with the community support she saw in Grant County. Board members, volunteers, judges and law enforcement were all represented at the open house — not something she sees in other communities.
“People came together to accomplish a goal,” she said. “It shows what a quality program it is. (Grant County) has one of the best directors, and I don’t see that everywhere I go.”
Dunn said she hopes the new building allows CASA to attract more volunteers and eliminate the waiting list the county has. More than 3,000 kids in the state are waiting on a CASA.
[Original Article By Mishele Wright [email protected]]
