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<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; In an impassioned speech Thursday at the induction ceremony for eight new court appointed special advocates, Luzerne County Judge William Amesbury told them what they will bring to their clients.</p><p>&#8220;You will bring hope to these children,&#8221; Amesbury said. &#8220;You will be a role model. You will allow these children to grow and you will grow as well.&#8221;</p><p>With the addition of the eight new advocates, the Court Appointed Special Advocates Program of Luzerne County now has 30 advocates who are charged with providing critical one-on-one services to about 59 children &#8212; or approximately 10 percent of all abused and neglected children within Luzerne County&#8217;s child welfare system.</p><p>At the ceremony in the courtroom of Luzerne County Judge Jennifer Rogers, the advocates graduated from their training program and will now begin their duties to help children in need.</p><p>The new advocates are:</p><p>&#8226; Will Conyngham, Lehman Township</p><p>&#8226; Anne Ellis, Clarks Summit</p><p>&#8226; Johanna Ortegon, Stroudsburg</p><p>&#8226; Patricia Reed, Wilkes-Barre</p><p>&#8226; Wendy Rush, Dallas</p><p>&#8226; Paul Sancholtz, Forty Fort</p><p>&#8226; Vanessa Trinidad, Wilkes-Barre</p><p>&#8226; Haley Zimmerman, Dallas</p><p>According to attorney John Aciukewicz, chairman of the CASA board of directors, every volunteer advocate is highly trained and sworn-in by a judge and reports directly to the court.</p><p>&#8220;For abused and neglected children, having a CASA means working towards finding a permanent home instead of becoming lost in the system,&#8221; Aciukewicz said.</p><p>Amesbury told the advocates that the task they are about to undertake and the path they will follow will be exciting, challenging and stimulating.</p><p>&#8220;You all will be in contact with children who have suffered abuse and who have been neglected,&#8221; Amesbury said. &#8220;In the end, a child will smile in appreciation of the love you have shown.&#8221;</p><p>Amesbury welcomed the new advocates to &#8220;Luzerne County&#8217;s best team.&#8221;</p><p>Tina Thompson, of Shickshinny, has served as an advocate since 2014. She said she enjoys being a voice for children.</p><p>&#8220;These children need someone they know will be there for them,&#8221; Thompson said. &#8220;Most of them have been disappointed so many times as they have been shuffled through the system.&#8221;</p><p>Ortegon said she is anxious to begin her role as an advocate.</p><p>&#8220;I want a child to know that they are not alone,&#8221; she said. &#8220;That someone cares, and I want to be that person &#8212; a voice of hope.&#8221;</p><p>Conyngham said he has know about CASA for a while and is familiar with the work the advocates do.</p><p>&#8220;The need is always there,&#8221; he said of the advocate&#8217;s role. &#8220;If I can help in some small way, I will do my best to help make a difference in a child&#8217;s life.&#8221;</p><p>Aciukewicz said the advocates can be certain of two things: &#8220;Your heart will be broken and your voice will be heard,&#8221; he said.&#8221;</p><p>Sandy Serafin, CASA&#8217;s advocate coordinator, said the next training session for advocates will be held in the fall. She said anyone interested in becoming a CASA advocate can call the office at 570-855-2247.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Judge William Amesbury welcomes new advocates to the Court Appointed Special Advocates Program of Luzerne County during Thursday&#8217;s swearing in ceremony at the Brominski Building in Wilkes-Barre. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/web1_casa01-4.jpg</photo0><caption0>Judge William Amesbury welcomes new advocates to the Court Appointed Special Advocates Program of Luzerne County during Thursday&#8217;s swearing in ceremony at the Brominski Building in Wilkes-Barre. </caption0><photoCredit0>Pete G. Wilcox | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/web1_casa02-4.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Judge Williams Amesbury, right, administers the oath to new advocates to the Court Appointed Special Advocates Program of Luzerne County during Thursday&#8217;s swearing in ceremony at the Brominski Building in Wilkes-Barre. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/web1_casa02-4.jpg</photo1><caption1>Judge Williams Amesbury, right, administers the oath to new advocates to the Court Appointed Special Advocates Program of Luzerne County during Thursday&#8217;s swearing in ceremony at the Brominski Building in Wilkes-Barre. </caption1><photoCredit1>Pete G. Wilcox | Times Leader </photoCredit1></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>8 new advocates will work with abused, neglected children</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Bill O&#8217;Boyle</p><p>boboyle@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p><strong>About CASA</strong></p><p>According to national CASA studies, a child with a CASA volunteer is:</p><p>&#8226; Half as likely to re-enter foster care</p><p>&#8226; More likely to be adopted</p><p>&#8226; More likely to do better in school and pass more courses</p><p>&#8226; More likely to graduate from high school</p><p>&#8226; More able to set and maintain goals for a better future</p><p>&#8226; Better able to demonstrate control and model good behavior</p><p>&#8226; More likely to have a positive attitude towards the future</p><p>&#8226; Better able to work with others and resolve conflicts</p><p>For more information, call: 570-855-2247; visit the website at luzernecasa.org; or go to the office at 667 North River St., Plains Township.</p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Bill O&#8217;Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Eight new CASA advocates hope to ‘bring hope’ to abused and neglected children