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Community Corner

Local Nonprofit Merges Under Larger Umbrella Organization

The Westminster-based nonprofit Voices For Children, known nationally as CASA, has been integrated into the Frederick County Mental Health Association.

The local nonprofit Voices for Children, Inc. of Carroll County has been reorganized under the umbrella of the Mental Health Association of Frederick County.

Voices for Children has provided volunteer Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) for abused and neglected children in Carroll County since 2001.  

“While this means the program is no longer a component fund of the Community Foundation of Carroll County, the program will continue to provide high-quality volunteer advocacy to the children of Carroll County,” commented Beth Santa Maria, the organization’s director of prevention programs, in an e-mail.

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“In a time when non-profits are tightening budgets and sharing resources, the merger provides both organizations with a sense of stability by using economies of scale," she wrote.

 “Without the merger with MHA, vulnerable children of Carroll County would have been left without best interest advocates…It is our hope to serve more Carroll County children over time.”

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Voices for Children is a sister program of the CASA of Frederick County program, and both programs are affiliates of the Maryland CASA Association, and are members of the National CASA Association.

Santa Maria called the Mental Health Association “well-suited” to manage the Voices program because it has provided the infrastructure and support to the Frederick County CASA program since 2002.

As for staffing changes, Santa Maria said everything about the Voices program will stay intact.

“There were no jobs lost, only responsibilities added to the Frederick positions,” she stated.

Jennifer Fuss, the Frederick CASA program coordinator, will provide program support and staff supervision to both the Frederick and Carroll County programs.

Fuss has managed the Frederick program since 2002.

Santa Maria will continue to provide administrative oversight for the program.

According to Santa Maria, Voices for Children employs one part-time case supervisor. In addition, the nonprofit has approximately 18 volunteers assigned to 21 children's cases. Funding for the programs comes from the Maryland Administrative Office of the Courts and National CASA Association. Additional support comes from special events and private donations.

As for how the re-organization will effect the organization’s set-up, Santa Maria said there are no plans to move from the Westminster-based office “just yet.”

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