Nine new CASA volunteers sworn-in via virtual ceremony

WILKES-BARRE — A total of nine individuals were sworn in on Wednesday to become Court Appointed Special Advocates in a virtual swearing-in ceremony, a first for the organization.

While the swearing-in ceremony for CASA is normally held either in the Bernard J. Brominski Building across the street from the Luzerne County Courthouse — or in the courthouse itself — this year, it occurred in numerous homes simultaneously, thanks to the now-ubiquitous Zoom teleconferencing app.

CASA of Luzerne County’s executive director John Aciukewicz told the newest inductees into the program that their work will make an important difference in the lives of children. He compared the situation to current affairs in the world.

“There’s some hope, because a vaccine seems ready to be deployed; that’s a good thing,” Aciukewicz said. “I was thinking about the children that suffer abuse and neglect; I was thinking about the children that are removed from their homes… There isn’t a vaccine to remove their uncertainty, their lack of permanence.”

Volunteers for CASA act as an advocate for children who are currently in the county foster care system, helping them work through the legal process and help them find a permanent home.

And while COVID-19 has changed many things, it certainly did not reduce the need of children in the foster care system. And since becoming a CASA volunteers require substantial training to perform their roles, that meant something needed to change to make sure new volunteers continue to get the training they need.

That’s why that the most recent class of volunteers was not only the first to be sworn-in virtually; they were the first to be trained virtually as well.

Luzerne County Judge Jennifer L. Rogers, who works most directly with the family court system, swore in the nine new volunteers, praising them for choosing to step up in such a tough year.

“Thank you to this Brady Bunch assembly I’m looking at,” Rogers joked about the layout of video feeds from the various individuals on the Zoom call.

“It would’ve been easy for every one of you to say, ‘I’ll pass; I’ll wait until COVID is over,’” Rogers said. “But your heart told you otherwise; your heart brought you here and your heart will keep you here.”