SIDNEY -- Two new Court-Appointed Special Advocates took their oath of office Monday.

 The two court volunteers will work with PlainsWest CASA. Suzanna Guerrero and Danielle Dickey recently completed the coursework to become CASAs. They took their oath of office before Judge Randin Roland Monday afternoon.

Guerrero said she was drawn to CASA because they have a Spanish-speaking family who needs an interpreter.

"At first I was hesitant because of the information I had before. But I, once I started with program, I got interested because I have always loved for some ways to help the community and help others. That's why I became a teacher as well because I love working with children," Guerrero said.

She said she learned in the coursework that children need advocates when vulnerable. They need to know they are appreciated by others.

Danielle Dickey is employed at the PlainsWest CASA office and decided to complete the CASA training.

"I started working here six months ago, and I just wanted to take the class so I understood better what all of our volunteers are going through, and expand my knowledge through how everything works at CASA. And then, just so I can keep moving on throughout the process of how everything works," Dickey said.

PlainsWest CASA Executive Director Krista Bruns said Dickey sees clients in the office. Now that she's cross-trained, she can better work with clients.

"As a staff member, you can take on cases, and as a staff member you will see the families come in, and you will want to advocate for them because you will just have that instant bond or instant connection. And so now, if she gets that feeling or gets that connection with a family, she's already had the class, she's been sworn in, and then we can assign her to her," Bruns said.

With Dickey and Guerrero, PlainsWest CASA has 22 volunteers, and 24 children.

CASA is a network of ordinary citizens making a difference by speaking up for children in foster care. Whether you volunteer as a CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) or participate in other ways, just a fraction of your time can impact a child’s lifetime.