Citizen of the Week: Janet Lovelady

Published 5:58 am Saturday, February 23, 2013

For more than 10 years, Janet Lovelady has donated countless hours of her life to represent abused and neglected children.

As a child advocate for the Murray/Whitfield CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) program, Lovelady is among the volunteers who work with children in the foster care system.

“During her tenure as a CASA, Janet has advocated for the best interest of countless children,” said Sandy Martin-Ales, director of the program offered through the Family Support Council.

Martin-Ales said Lovelady has gone beyond what is required of her as a CASA by, at times, serving as an advocate for up to four cases of children at once. Many times, she has represented sibling groups.

“Janet’s dedication to speaking up for children goes beyond her actual work with the child,” Martin-Ales said. “She became a certified CASA trainer for new volunteer advocates. She strongly feels that abused children need someone to speak for them in the Juvenile Court.”

Lovelady, along with 27 other child advocate volunteers for Murray/Whitfield CASA, served 106 children in 2012.

Administrative assistant Diane Green said volunteers are always needed. Those who are approved must have gone through 10 hours of Juvenile Court observation and 30 hours of additional training. Green said CASAs are not associated with the Department of Family and Children Services, but they do interact with DFCS workers, the child’s parents, foster parents, teachers and other people in the child’s life so they can represent the interests of the child in court.

“Janet is just a very dedicated CASA,” Green said. “She has a love for children. She has a big heart. She does not mind having that voice for those children.”

For her efforts to represent children in the court system, The Daily Citizen names Janet Lovelady Citizen of the Week.