Organization Hosts Second “Men of CASA” Advocate Gathering
The Importance of Male Advocates for Kids in Care
Did you know?
Last year in Montgomery County, of the 802 children served by CASA Advocates, 51% were female and 49% were male. However, of the 319 CASA VOLUNTEERS, 82% were female and 18% were male.
A 2017 report from Texas CASA offered that, “Oftentimes, children in foster care do not have a reliable father figure or positive male role model in their lives.” Although all of our volunteers are trained and ready to advocate for any child, children with a consistent, positive male influence in their life*:
- Have a better physical well-being
- Possess higher competency for relating with others
- Demonstrate greater ability to take initiative
- Better evidence self-control
- Achieve more academically
- Are more likely to abstain from using drugs
CASA Child Advocates of Montgomery County’s Executive Director, Ann McAlpin, said in a 2018 interview with the Houston Chronicle that while the female volunteers are extremely valuable and successful, the male volunteers bring something different to the table—especially when it comes to relating to young men. In this situation, the children are likely to have a less-than-present father.
“For older boys, a lot of them have never met, much less have had a relationship with a good man. They’ve not had a role model. We think it’s important for them to know what a good man looks like,” McAlpin said. “A male can do that in a way that a female can’t.”
Men of CASA Advocate Gathering
CASA recently hosted our second “Men of CASA” Advocate gathering offering a bit of fun, food, and fellowship for our male Advocates at MOD Pizza in Conroe. 10 Advocates and Board members attended event, including Dave Bartlow, Brian Gross, Ed Felmen, Eric Ferrell, Randy Hansen, Gerald Humphrey, Brian Mullen, James Pung, and Steve Szymczak. Thank you for joining us, but more importantly, thank you for your amazing efforts to stand up and be the voice for children in foster care in our county!
Every child deserves a chance…IT’S YOU!
Learn more about becoming a CASA volunteer: VOLUNTEER or give online: DONATE.
*According to research by Kyle Pruett, M.D. and Warren Farrell, Ph.D.