After asking her to close her eyes for a surprise, David (name changed to protect his identity) leads Marcia Harris into his aunt’s kitchen, where his mom, aunt and little sister are baking Christmas cookies together.
While baking cookies might seem common, especially at this time of year, it was the first time in 18 months that David and his little sister had been reunited with their mother outside of a visitation room.
“I was so touched by this scene that it brought tears to my eyes,” said Harris. Harris, who lives in Raleigh, N.C., is the children’s Guardian ad Litem volunteer.
A Guardian ad Litem (GAL) is a trained community volunteer who is appointed by a district court judge to seek the best interests of abused and neglected children petitioned into the court system by the Department of Social Services. Guardian ad Litem volunteers provide a voice for abused and neglected children in every county in North Carolina. The volunteer investigates – making home visits and talking with the child’s parents, teachers, and social workers – and then independently reports his or her recommendations to the court.
The Guardian ad Litem program is currently seeking volunteers to be the voice of a child in court. If you have an interest in this program, call the office for Henderson, Transylvania and Polk counties at 828-697-4572 or visit www.ncgal.org. You can also find out more about the program by visiting the organization’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ncGuardianAdLitem.
– article submitted by Kaitlin Fender