Submitted by Gretchen Boger-O’Bryan
Rahway’s Anne Collart was elevated to vice president of the board of trustees of Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Union County. The attorney with Gibbons in Newark practices commercial and criminal litigation, and criminal defense. She and husband Neil each trained as volunteer advocates to work with Union County foster youth.
CASA of Union County recruits, trains, supervises and supports community volunteers to advocate for abused, neglected and abandoned Union County children removed from home and placed in foster care or residential facilities. There are nearly 500 Union County children in foster care.
Collart said, “I am absolutely thrilled to be taking on a greater role with CASA of Union County and serve as vice president of the board of trustees. Our volunteer advocates really do such tough work, trying to connect with and lift up children who are at what will probably be the lowest point of their childhoods: being taken away from their home and their parents. Having been an advocate two years, and working with a little girl removed from home and then abused in her first foster home, I can tell you that my role now is far easier. I very much look forward to the opportunity to support our volunteers and help the organization continue to develop so we can meet our goal of providing a CASA volunteer for every Union County child who needs one.”
“We are so pleased Anne has taken on the vice presidency,” said Executive Director Marla Higginbotham. “Her time in the advocate trenches and her commitment to and understanding of the needs of these youth, as well as her upbeat spirit and approach to any task dovetail into an ideal candidate to guide the organization in the coming years.”
Other changes to the board of trustees include elevation of Mountainside’s Ron Silver to president, a retired dentist who trained and served as a CASA volunteer advocating for several foster youth for six years; and new members real estate agent Terry Gould of Westfield and Edison attorney Adam Rothenberg of Scotch Plains. Gould has served as a CASA volunteer in Connecticut and New Jersey, and Rothenberg’s wife Christie has advocated for five Union County foster youth over the last four years.
Through court-ordered access to foster parents, doctors, caseworkers, therapists and teachers, CASA volunteers ensure a child’s best interests remain a priority while working toward establishing a safe, stable and permanent home. CASA of Union County serves half the county’s youth in care; its goal is to reach every child. For details on how to get involved, reach Courtney at (908) 293-8136.
