Roane County Child Advocate Named 2014 CASA Volunteer of the Year
Award given to Jack McNew at Nashville ceremony
Jack McNew of Harriman has been named the 2014 CASA Volunteer of the Year by the Tennessee Bar Association Young Lawyers Division (YLD). The award recognizes McNew's five years of service as a volunteer for CASA of the Ninth Judicial District, which serves children in Loudon, Morgan and Roane counties.
Knoxville lawyer Katrina Atchley Arbogast, chair of the YLD Children's Issues Committee, presented the award to McNew at a dinner in Nashville on Friday, January 17. Sandra Weaver, executive director of CASA of the Ninth Judicial District, also was recognized. This year marked the 10th anniversary of the award, which was celebrated with a video presentation featuring all previous award winners.
McNew has served with CASA of the Ninth Judicial District since its founding in 2008, and "has been a mainstay" with the program, according to Weaver. In her application nominating McNew, Weaver also recounted how he served as part of a small group that undertook a strategic planning process to determine whether to form the agency, and then worked to bring management guidelines to the counties being served. McNew was one of the agency's first volunteer advocates and first president of its board of directors.
Since becoming involved with CASA, McNew has represented nearly 24 children. He also has served as the agency's interim treasurer and liaison to the county commission. In that role, he successfully obtained office space in the courthouse for the CASA staff. McNew is passionate about the mission of CASA and often speaks to community groups and potential funders. Most recently, he has become a peer coordinator, supervising six new volunteers.
"CASA volunteers are often unsung heroes and it is gratifying that the Young Lawyers Division has continued recognizing volunteers for 10 years as it also brings greater awareness of CASA programs throughout Tennessee," explains Cheryl Hultman, Executive Director of TN CASA.
