Advocate group plans 5K

Court Appointed Special Advocates, also known as CASA, will sponsor a 5K walk/run fundraising event Sat., Oct. 13 at College Park on Rose Avenue in Oxnard.

CASA, a program of Interface Children Family Services in Camarillo, provides specially trained volunteers to help individual at-risk children who are under the jurisdiction of local court systems.

Volunteers work in many ways. They write reports to the court on a child's needs and progress, speak out in court for the child's best interest, serve as a mentor and friend to a child in the system and help the child receive special help, such as educational resources and tutoring. An advocate provides continuous support throughout the time when the child often has no family and few resources.

CASA finances the training and coordination of volunteers primarily through donations and fundraising events.

For more information on how to make a donation, how to become an advocate for a child or about the 5K walk/run, call Sandi White, CASA program manager at (805) 485-6114, ext. 609.