The new office is home to the Hillsdale County Foster Care Closet.
Courtesy | Facebook
A community closet for foster kids in Hillsdale County opened at the start of October, located at the new office of the Court Appointed Special Advocates of Hillsdale.
The Hillsdale County Foster Care Closet will be open to any child in foster care or under the jurisdiction of Hillsdale County Court, according to the organization’s Facebook page. CASA trains volunteers to represent minors in the court system using money raised from grants and donations, said CASA Director Heather Upton. She said the nonprofit is especially excited to open a closet for children in foster care.
“A full closet of clothes means children in the foster care system can pick out their own things,” Upton said.
The closet’s formal apparel section is open year-round, not only during dance season. It houses clothes and commodities for all ages, but Upton said she is especially excited for teens to visit.
“That age group has been heavy on my heart,” she said.
The CASA closet also has a formal section.
“We thought families would appreciate the opportunity to pick out formal clothes from our closet, as well,” Upton said. “We have suits and dresses and anything else a high school student might need for a dance or another special occasion.”
Elain Gallant is a CASA volunteer working with two families in the area.
“I know their world seems like it’s crumbling beyond their control,” she said. “We are blessed to be able to provide a place in which they have control enough to pick their own wardrobe.”
Hillsdale CASA moved out of their old office on N. Howell Street this summer.
The new office includes room for the board of directors to meet and discuss issues and advancement, as well as an office for Upton to handle day-to-day business. But Upton said she is most excited that the new office will be open for foster families and CASA volunteers to use. The new building has a full kitchen, a laundry room, and a full closet.
“CASA in Hillsdale started in a storage closet at the Intermediate School District,” said Upton. “Then we moved to the district court and used some space there, then to a jewelry store in Hillsdale.”
Upton said all previous spaces were either too small or oddly proportioned to accommodate all of CASA’s needs.
“We are excited to have more space so we can provide for more needs,” Upton said.
Cheryl Lohmeyer, a judge in Monroe County who previously served as a member of the Monroe County Child Protective Attorney Consortium, said she often works with CASA volunteers.
“Lawyers often have multiple cases to juggle,” Lohmeyer said. “CASA volunteers are assigned one case, so they often have insight that an attorney doesn’t, which helps a judge more fully understand the situation.”
On the legal side, CASA volunteers are another pair of eyes. Lohmeyer said beyond legalities, they reach the more human side of the foster care system, recording the child’s wishes and submitting them to the judge before a hearing.
“If a child misses a friend from the school they attended before moving to a foster family, the CASA volunteers tell the judge,” Lohmeyer said. “It is a way to give the children a voice and I wish every child in that situation had a CASA volunteer.”
CASA seeks donations of books, diapers, wipes, and toys, Upton said.
CASA will host an open house from 12 to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 13, at N. 59 Broad St. in Hillsdale.