Faith Sandahl, executive director of CASA of Menominee/Marinette (left), and advocate supervisor Bobbi Jo Mashlan (right) serve both Menominee and Marinette cCounties in their roles.
Faith Sandahl, executive director of CASA of Menominee/Marinette (left), and advocate supervisor Bobbi Jo Mashlan (right) serve both Menominee and Marinette cCounties in their roles.
MENOMINEE — CASA is setting down a larger stake in the community.
Faith Sandahl, executive director of Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Menominee/Marinette, said they merged with the Marinette CASA program on Jan. 1 to better serve and grow the opportunities in the counties. It’s one of only three county programs operating across state lines.
“It was a strategic decision on part of both programs to do that,” Sandahl said, mentioning that CASA of Brown County operated Marinette’s branch before January.
The nonprofit, located at 915 14th Ave., Menominee, moved into its office in December 2021 after working in a previously donated area in First United Methodist Church’s basement.
For those unfamiliar, CASA advocates provide a voice in the courtroom for an average of 50 children each year that have experienced abuse or neglect. CASA provides each child with an advocate whose primary responsibility is to visit with the kids in the home and get to know them, their needs, wants and wishes.
“Obviously, they’ve been through a lot of trauma, being removed from their home,” Sandahl said. “It’s providing another mentor, another person in their life that’s healthy and stable.”
The volunteers file reports that the judge considers when determining safe placement for the child.
“The judge puts a lot of weight on those,” Sandahl said.
She praised the volunteers and said Marinette County needs more of them. Interested people can contact CASA through its Facebook page (CASA of Menominee/Marinette), phone at 906-420-2363 or email at faith@casaofmenomineemarinette.com.
“They come from so many walks of life and so many different experiences,” Sandahl said.
She mentioned a specific case where the volunteer provided an incarcerated parent, who had difficulty getting resources like veteran’s disability, with a few connections to get their kid back.
“It did end in reunification,” Sandahl said, musing on her visit to the parent’s house, which was filled with toys and the sounds of kid’s TV shows filling the residence.
When someone is in need, it can be hard to focus on the most basic needs, let alone assistance programs.
“When families are in crisis, it’s hard,” Sandahl said. “You can’t think. With a lot of our families, something we deal with a lot is the generational cycle: generational poverty.”
That’s why they focus on parents and kids, she said.
“If the parents aren’t thriving, then the kids aren’t thriving,” Sandahl said.
They help those looking for jobs, fighting addictions and struggling with housing. CASA works with the local health departments, community mental health agencies like Northpointe Behavioral Health and Great Start Collaborative of Menominee County to identify solutions and resources that might work for the whole family.
The goal is to find a good forever home.
“Kids that have CASA are in a safe and permanent home faster,” she said.
To further strengthen community bonds, CASA will host a cash raffle for Child Abuse Awareness Month in April, with tickets for purchase in their office, and a fifth annual golf outing on Oct. 7, at North Shore Golf Course, N2315 M-35, Menominee.
People can visit the office from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday in Menominee for assistance. For those looking to donate, visit casamenominee.com.
