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16-year-old bike rider rescued after crashing and falling into Mill Creek

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Exhibit Listings: Sept. 22 to 16, 2016

<p>KINGSTON &#8212; On the 20th anniversary of the death of his father, Attorney John Aciukewicz will begin his new career as the executive director of CASA &#8212; the Court Appointed Special Advocates program.</p><p>Aciukewicz, 57, of Trucksville, said his father was the single biggest influence in his life. On Oct. 3, Aciukewicz will lead an organization that positively influences the children it serves.</p><p>In 2015, Aciukewicz said 483 children in Luzerne County were removed from their homes as a result of abuse and/or neglect.</p><p>&#8220;The CASA concept is based upon the commitment that every child has the right to a safe, permanent home,&#8221; he said. &#8220;We have to decide where the best place would be for these children &#8212; to return home, to enter foster care or adoption. It&#8217;s a life-altering decision.&#8221;</p><p>Aciukewicz explained the CASA program recruits, screens, trains and supports citizen volunteers to become Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASAs).</p><p>&#8220;They are well-trained volunteers who are then appointed by a judge to investigate, evaluate, monitor and advocate for the best interest of abused and neglected children in court,&#8221; he said.</p><p>A CASA advocate is empowered through the court&#8217;s order to access all records needed to gain insight into the child&#8217;s situation. The volunteer is an officer of the court and speaks exclusively for the child.</p><p>Aciukewicz said by handling only one case at a time, the CASA volunteer has time to gather facts, evaluate and gain enough insight to make a conclusion about what is in the child&#8217;s best interest, providing the judge with an independent report and recommendation. He said currently CASA of Luzerne County has 30 active volunteers serving 41 children.</p><p>Having grown up in Mocanaqua, Aciukewicz said his father worked a second job as a bartender.</p><p>&#8220;Every Saturday, my dad would leave and go to his bar-tending job,&#8221; Aciukewicz said. &#8220;Years later, I found out why.&#8221;</p><p>Aciukewicz earned his bachelor&#8217;s degree at Gettysburg College and his juris doctorate at Dickinson School of Law. When he graduated and went to work, he learned his father had paid off his college loans.</p><p>&#8220;My dad told me, &#8216;Now you know why I worked all of those Saturday nights.&#8217; He did it so I could begin my life without debt,&#8221; he said.</p><p>&#8220;This program offers an opportunity to help some of those kids,&#8221; he said, acknowledging that more than 4,500 hearings were conducted by Children &amp; Youth in Luzerne County last year. &#8220;And it come at what probably is the most vulnerable time in their lives.&#8221;</p><p>The CASA program in Luzerne County was established in 2012 and the first class of volunteer advocates began working in 2013.</p><p>&#8220;We&#8217;re not here to replace Children &amp; Youth,&#8221; Aciukewicz said.</p><p>He hopes to grow the CASA program and its corps of volunteers.</p><p>&#8220;Ideally, we would want to see one advocate for every child,&#8221; he said.</p><p>Aciukewicz will be paid $55,000 per year to run the program that operates on a$175,000 annual budget.</p><p>A practicing attorney in Luzerne County since 1984, Aciukewicz and his wife, Beth, are the parents of three children: Josh, 29; Zach, 26; and Aaron, 22.</p><p>The program will host its first themed fund-raising event &#8212; &#8220;CASAblanca&#8221; &#8212; from 6 to 9 p.m. Sept. 29 at the F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts. Tickets are $95. The event will feature casino tables, food and inspiring stories of CASA children and their advocates. </p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">9/14/2016 Aimee Dilger|Times Leader</div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/web1_TTL091516Aciukewicz3-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>9/14/2016 Aimee Dilger|Times Leader</caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/web1_TTL091516Aciukewicz1-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Attorney John Aciukewicz talks about working for CASA. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/web1_TTL091516Aciukewicz1-1.jpg</photo1><caption1>Attorney John Aciukewicz talks about working for CASA. </caption1><photoCredit1></photoCredit1></div></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>For more information about CASA of Luzerne County, go to www.luzernecasa.org; or call 570-855-2247. The office is located at 667 N. 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>

John Aciukewicz will leave law practice to lead program advocating for children