Volunteers advocate for children through court battles
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POLSON — Volunteerism is no stranger to Lake County, and while hundreds of community members donate their time and efforts to enrich life in the Mission Valley through a variety of programs and projects, many people have no idea the work put in by one small group of volunteers. They are Court Appointed Special Advocates for children, and they spend countless hours fighting for the futures of our youngest citizens.
When longtime journalist Mick Holien retired from the profession and moved to Polson from Missoula about a decade ago, he decided to draw on his experience working with children years earlier in Spokane, Wash., and join Lake County’s CASA group.
“I realized that I had some expertise that I could help kids,” Holien said. “I decided I was in a position to pay it forward.”
After seven years as the board chairman for CASA, Holien says the program is “really necessary in a rural area like Lake County.” After 18 hours of training, volunteers become certified as a Court Appointed Special Advocate/Guardian Ad Litems, and then they’re ready for the real work. Advocates are assigned by Lake County District Court to cases involving children, which can be anything from parental custody disputes to neglect or abuse cases. The advocate’s job is to evaluate the case by investigating the child’s life at home and at school, interviewing friends, teachers, family members, etc., about the child’s living situation, and to eventually recommend to the judge the best situation for the child.
“You are the child’s only advocate; you’re the person who’s standing up in court saying, ‘I want what’s best for this child,’” Holien explained. “Our recommendation is highly considered by the DC as to what the final decision will be.”
District Court Judge Kim Christopher agreed, saying CASA’s ability to make sure a child is heard has been so helpful in the youth care matters that the court hears.
“From the court’s perspective … the ability to have volunteers who can reach out and touch a child, who is really the only genuinely innocent party that we ever see in a lot of the proceedings we have to deal with, is really important,” Christopher said. “And their efforts on that part are really helpful in trying to make sure that the child isn’t lost in all the laws and bureaucracy and guidelines and policy.”
Throughout the extensive process — cases sometimes take years to resolve — Holien believes the hardest part for volunteers is to keep their own ideas of what a stable home is separate from their work. If at all possible, the goal is to keep children either in their home or with close family members, but the top priority is ensuring the safety and health of the child.
“It’s not what I think; it’s what the law requires,” Holien said. “It really depends; of course you’d like to have the children go back and be with their natural family … but sometimes that’s just not possible.”
In his time with CASA, Holien has worked on five cases, all now resolved, and the organization handles upward of 30 cases at times during the school year. Currently in Lake County, CASA has 20 cases and 13 volunteers, plus one part-time employee, executive director Dianne Richards.
But many more people support the organization’s work, as evidenced by the April 20 CASA Scramble at Polson Bay Golf Course. Twenty teams of four played in the tournament alongside Western Montana celebrities Mick Delaney, University of Montana head football coach; former Buffalo Bills and Griz player Dylan McFarland; former UM vice-president Jim Foley; Polson Bay Golf Course pro Roger Wallace; KPAX’s Derek Burkley; and KPAX news anchor Mike Powers. Teams could bid on celebrities, with the lucky six winners adding a fifth celebrity member to their team. With donations, entry fees, auctions and sponsorships, the event raised around $10,000 to support the nonprofit group’s work.
