JEFF FIELDER Editor
SCOTTSBLUFF – Kelcie McBride, of Scottsbluff, is the executive director of CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) of Scotts Bluff County. Before moving into that position in June 2020, she worked at Nebraska Children’s Home Society in Scottsbluff, an organization that focuses on educating children and families, facilitating adoption, supporting foster parents and children, and walking beside families through every need and stage. McBride graduated from Maxwell High School in 2010, and in 2014 she earned a bachelor’s degree from Fort Hays State University in communication studies with an emphasis in public relations. Kelcie and her husband have two sons: a 3-year-old and an 18-month-old.
Q: How pleased are you with how things have been going since you took over the executive director position at CASA of Scotts Bluff County?
McBRIDE: “It’s been going really well. But just like with most everyone else, COVID posed some challenges for us. I was in the job for at least six months before I got to meet all the board members and most of the volunteers. Overall, though, things have been going well. We’ve been able to get creative with some of our events and recruitment tactics. We’re excited that we’ve been able to get more volunteers to serve more kids.”
Q: Describe what CASA does?
McBRIDE: “We train volunteers to act as Court Appointed Special Advocates. These children aren’t in the system because of something they did; they’re in the system because of something someone else did to them. All the children we serve have been abused or neglected. Our volunteers are appointed by a judge, and they get to know the children for their case. We ask our volunteers to meet with kids monthly and gather information from people who are important in the child’s life – like parents, foster parents, daycare workers, teachers, and school staff. Volunteers also speak to the child so they know what the child wants. Volunteers then write a report to the judge about what they believe is in the child’s best interest. All of the information collected gives a judge more information to make decisions about what will happen to these children.”
Q: How many staff members and volunteers does CASA have?
McBRIDE: “We have two staff members. I’m the executive director, and Missi Iasillo is our volunteer coordinator. She’s part-time. We currently have 34 volunteers, and we’re in the process of training some additional volunteers who will get sworn in over the next few months. Our goal for the 2021-2022 year is to reach 40 volunteers.”
Q: How many volunteers does CASA usually have?
McBRIDE: “Historically, we’ve plateaued around 30 volunteers. We might get one or two new ones but then lose one or two. So, it’s been around 30. But we’ve seen a lot of growth in our recruitment; a lot of people are interested. So, we feel now is the right time to set a goal of 40 volunteers. Our aspiration is to serve every child who needs a CASA volunteer. Unfortunately, there’s a lot of child abuse and neglect in this area, so it’s not possible to make a volunteer available to every child who needs a CASA right now. There are about 100 new cases a year, so if we had 40 volunteers, we would be serving about 40 percent of these children.”
You can read the entire feature story in the October 2021 issue of Nspire Today! magazine. A one-year subscription (12 issues) is only $15. You may sign up for a subscription by sending $15 to Nspire Today!, P.O. Box 454, Scottsbluff, NE 69363, or you may pay with a credit card by calling 308-220-8865.
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