Get Involved as a Citizen

It's not just lawyers who have the ability to give back to their communities. Depending on your skill set and the nature of your interests, even you can play a vital role in helping others around you. The following list might give you a few ideas of some things you can do in your community.

  1. Get involved as a CASA volunteer. A CASA volunteer is a trained citizen who is appointed by a judge to represent the best interests of child in court. Children helped by CASA volunteers include those for whom home placement is being determined in court. These children are often victims of abuse or neglect. Volunteers are trained in courtroom procedure; reporting and monitoring; understanding child abuse and neglect; impacts of mental illness and substance abuse; and advocating for services. Get more information.

  2. Get involved as a foster parent. Foster parents make a difference in the lives of children and their birth families. Foster families are trained and licensed, providing 24-hour care and supervision for children who have been abused or neglected. Foster families receive 30 hours of training and participate in home consultations, resulting in the completion of a home study. Get more information about being a foster parent.

  3. Provide services as a guardian or conservator. The role of guardian and/or conservator is one that carries with it considerable responsibility as well as considerable rewards. Guardians provide a legal responsibility for the personal affairs of an individual. Conservators provide a legal responsibility for the property and financial affairs of an individual. Get more information about being a guardian or conservator.

  4. Get involved with a Neighborhood Watch Program. The Neighborhood Watch program can trace its roots back to the days of colonial settlements, when night watchmen patrolled the streets. The modern version of Neighborhood Watch was developed in response to requests from sheriffs and police chiefs who were looking for a crime prevention program that would involve citizens and address an increasing number of burglaries. Neighborhood Watch works because it reduces opportunities for crime to occur, and it does not rely on altering or changing the criminal's behavior or motivation.