McKinney Resident Named Texas CASA Volunteer Of The Year

This just in from CASA:

McKinney resident Virginia Barrett was named the 2008 CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) State of Texas Volunteer of the Year at the group’s annual conference in Austin last weekend. 
 
Each year, the award recognizes the volunteer who has made a significant contribution in helping abused and neglected children and has exemplified a high level of ethics and respect for their role as a CASA. Barrett has volunteered for CASA of Collin County since 1998 and is one of 5,000 active volunteers in the state’s 68 CASA programs. She has advocated for 53 children in 21 cases in the courts of six district judges.

In representing her children, Barrett has worked diligently to find funding which has provided tuition for private schools, YMCA camps and many other extras. She has personally paid for some items while relentlessly searching for funding from others. Barrett has worked with all ages, many disabilities, traveled great distances and never fails to explore a possibility for a child. Barrett tackled a case with nine children, and after six years, still advocates for six of them. Each one would say that they are her most important priority.
                                                           
Although small in stature, the whirlwind Barrett can create when delving into a case is phenomenal. She uses every available resource to assist in making appropriate recommendations to the court. She calls the work "pure pleasure" and speaks of her children as "precious.” 
 
In addition to her role with CASA, Barrett belongs to several organizations, including the Daughters of the American Revolution, McKinney Citizens Police Academy Alumni Association, Collin County Sheriff’s Academy Alumni Association and the Certified Emergency Response Team. She has served on two grand juries and the commission which selects grand jury members.     

About CASA:
CASA of Collin County, located at 112 W. Virginia St., McKinney, has been training court-appointed volunteers to advocate for abused and neglected children in the county since 1991. There are currently 170 active volunteers who represented 740 children last year, serving 25,000 hours.