THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, August 18, 1995 TAG: 9508170135
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 03 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: THUMBS UP
SOURCE: BY JO-ANN CLEGG, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 76 lines
FOR LESLEY HARVEY, preparing to return home to England, these late summer days are filled with farewells.
First there is the farewell to the international friends she and her husband, John, a captain in the Royal Navy, have made during his tour on the staff of the Supreme Allied Commander, Atlantic Fleet (SACLANT).
Then there are the farewells to the friends the couple have made in the civilian community and to the comfortable home they have been renting in the Little Neck area.
For Harvey, as for all career military wives, such farewells are an accepted part of life.
But for Harvey, the end of this tour means some very special farewells. After two years of intensive volunteer work she'll be saying her goodbyes to the staff, volunteers and young clients in the Virginia Beach Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) program.
``We are certainly going to miss Lesley,'' Edith Duggan, the program's coordinator said. ``She's given so much time since she's been here and she's brought in other volunteers from SACLANT too.''
Sparking the interest of potential volunteers is crucial to the program, which appoints adults to serve as independent observers who can act on behalf of children who have been neglected, abused or caught up in custody cases.
``We always need good volunteers,'' Duggan said, ``especially those who have had experience working with children or the courts. Many of the SACLANT wives have that kind of background.''
That was true of Harvey. ``I had taught pre-kindergarten back home,'' she said, ``but neither of us wanted me to work over here.''
Still, she felt as though she wanted to provide some kind of service to the local community. And she knew, given the length of her husband's tour, that it would be necessary to become involved quickly.
``Once we were settled in, I started looking around for what I could do,'' she said. When she saw a plea for CASA volunteers, she called for more information.
The idea of acting on behalf of children involved in the court system appealed to her, especially the opportunity to work with those who had been abused or neglected.
``Abuse over here is no different to abuse at home (in England). Thankfully it's coming to light,'' she said of the increase of reported cases in both countries. ``When you hear what some children have to cope with, it's amazing that they cope as well as they do.''
After intensive screening and training, Harvey was matched with a 10-year-old involved in a difficult custody case.
``We become the voice in court for these children,'' Harvey explained. ``We work to support the social workers and help them wherever we can, and make sure that the needs of the child are met to the best of the situation.''
After nearly two years of volunteering with CASA, Harvey will be returning to Portland in Dorchester where her husband will command the air station. Home, for the Harveys will be a house built on the grounds of Portland Castle in the 1600s by King Henry VIII.
Although the courts in England do have child advocates, there have been some significant differences. ``They're usually attorneys and they are paid for their services,'' she said.
``I see CASA as a very positive thing. If it's not happening at home, I would like to see it happening,'' she said.
While she will be saying farewell to the program here, she may well find herself in the position of introducing it back in England. MEMO: For information on the CASA program, call 426-5616.
ILLUSTRATION: Photo by JO-ANN CLEGG
Lesley Harvey was a volunteer for two years in the Virginia Beach
Court Appointed Special Advocates program.
by CNB