The Press-Dispatch
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READER GUIDE Subscriptions: Change of address: subscribers changing addresses will please give old address as well as new one along with phone number. We cannot guarantee prompt change unless this is done. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Press-Dispatch., P.O. Box 68, Petersburg, IN 47567-0068 or e-mail to subscribe@ pressdispatch.net. Subscription rates: One year: $35 for Pike County and all 475/476 zip codes; $38 in the state of Indiana; $55 elsewhere in the USA. Paid in advance. Subscriptions taken after noon on Friday will not receive a paper until the second edition after their subscription date. About us: Andy Heuring and John B. Heuring, Publishers Andy Heuring, Editor John B. Heuring, Adv. Mgr. Sherri Sebella, Reporter Eric Gogel, Production Mgr. Cindy Petty, Adv. Sales Pam Lemond, Adv. Sales Brakston Farrar, Designer • • • Published every Wednesday by the Pike County Publishing Co. Phone: 812-354-8500 820 E. Poplar St., P.O. Box 68, Petersburg, IN 47567-0068 • • • Entered in the Post Office in Petersburg, Indiana for transmission through the mails as Periodical Mail, postage paid at Petersburg, Indiana – published weekly. (USPS 205-620) We want to thank our event sponsors: Pike Feud Teams: Jay C, Friends, Memorial Hospital, WBDC Petersburg Hardware and Randy's Americana Café Thursday, March 10 at 6pm GLEZEN REVIVAL CENTER 245 S. Glezen Center St, Petersburg Tickets are $25 for sale at Petersburg Hardware Food Participants Calorita Jay C Mi Patio Village Inn Friends Beacon of Light Ambor Manor No. 423 Smokehouse Caddy Shack Moose Randy's Americana Café The Pike County Chamber & Pike County Economic Development presents our annual dinner: More Info: chamber@pikecounty.in.gov, pikegrowth@pikeco.org or 812-354-8155 Taste 2022 of Pike COUNTY welcoming SPECIALIZING IN: • Facials • Full-Body Waxing • Lash Extensions • Microdermabrasion Licensed Esthetician Taia Hinton 709 MAIN STREET, PETERSBURG Call for an Appointment 812-582-2932 barebeautyestheticsbytaia barebeautyesthetics.square.site Taia is a Graduate of The Salon Professional Academy of Evansville, Specializing in Esthetics AVAILABLE Tuesdays & Thursdays 9am-5pm Saturdays 9am-2pm Will you be the voice for an abused or neglected child? CASA Program needs volunteers By Sherri Sebella The Pike County CASA Pro- gram is in dire need of volun- teers to help abused and ne- glected children in the coun- ty have a voice in court. Pike County CASA (Court Appointed Special Advo- cates), is a non-profit group made up of men and wom- en in Pike and surrounding counties who are determined to do what it takes to help the abused and neglected chil- dren in Pike County. The CASA program can have 50 to 100 children at any one time who need a voice for them in court cases when they cannot speak for themselves. All volunteers decide if they want to accept a case or not. No one is ever forced to take a case they are not comfort- able with. As part of the CASA pro- gram, volunteers get to know the child. They listen and talk to the people in the child's life to find out what they need to heal and thrive. They make sure the child is safe; and they help the child reach a safe, permanent home. Pike County CASA start- ed in Pike County about 30 years ago, according to cur- rent CASA Director Andrea Sharp. "We only have three volunteers," Sharp said. "We have our hands full. They like CASA volunteers to only have one case, but due to the short- age of volunteers, some of our volunteers handle three to five cases." Pike County currently has 15 active cases and eight abused and neglected children in need of a CASA volunteer. "We're so local and many peo- ple are afraid to volunteer be- cause of getting a parent mad or a parent following them," Sharp said. "Everyone knows every- one in this county, but we have never had problems with those situations happen- ing. You are working with the kids more than the par- ents. You are the voice for that child. When the child is removed from the home, CA- SA typically gets involved in Pike County." CASA volunteers are just beginning to get involved in informal hearings, where the children are still with their parents, but due to a lack of volunteers, most cases in- volve children who have al- ready been removed from the home and are in foster care. All cases involved are chil- dren in need of services (CHINS). Children do best when they can safely remain with their parents or with oth- er family members, so CA- SA volunteers work with ex- perts and service providers to identify and recommend ser- vices aimed at keeping fam- ilies intact or returning chil- dren safely to family mem- bers. When that is not possi- ble, CASA volunteers work to help the child reach another safe and stable 'forever' home. "We want people to see the reward of being a CASA volun- teer, whether that be reunifi- cation, or getting them out of a bad situation," Sharp said. "Being a part of helping that child is very rewarding." Pike County CASA pro- gram is run by one director and the rest are all volunteers. "Our Board of Directors are even volunteers," Sharp said. "Not only do we need CASA volunteers to help with the abuse and neglected children of Pike County, but we could really use volunteers who could help us with grant writ- ing or enjoy doing computer input. They would still need to go through training, but most of the training is online now." You do not have to be a resident of Pike County to be a Pike County CASA vol- unteer. "We have some vol- unteers from Dubois Coun- ty. People just need to keep in mind that sometimes chil- dren are placed in homes out- side of Pike County due to a shortage of foster homes, so they may have to travel some to see the children." Visiting with children is not limited to in-person interactions. Other options include: Zoom, Face- time, telephone updates, and virtual hearings. With a CASA volunteer, a child is half as likely to lan- guish in the foster care and child welfare system, and they are much more likely to find a safe, permanent home. If you are interested in vol- unteering for the Pike Coun- ty CASA Program, Sharp can be reached at 812-354-4426 or you may visit pikecountycasa. com or their Facebook page at Pike County CASA. "We want people to see the reward of being a Pike County CASA volunteer, wheth- er that be reunification, or getting them out of a bad situation," Andrea Sharp, Pike County CASA Director, said. "Being a part of helping that child is very rewarding. We only have three volunteers. We have our hands full. They like CASA volunteers to only have one case, but due to the shortage of volunteers, some of our volun- teers handle three to five cases." The Press-Dispatch Wednesday, March 2, 2022 A-3 LOCAL Call: 812-354-8500 Email: news@pressdispatch.net or bring in a hard copy: 820 E. Poplar Street, Petersburg NEWS BRIEFS Free vaccine and testing site at Library today Indiana Department of Health is hosting a Vaccine/Test- ing site at the Pike County Library (Petersburg Branch) from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on March 2. The Pfizer pediatric vac- cine for children five to 11 will be available. Those wish- ing to participate in this event may walk-in during those hours. To save time you can make an appointment on Our- Shot.in.gov Join Pike County Purdue Extension WalkIn' Program Walking is a popular form of physical activity- and good for your health! Are you looking to make a change in your lifestyle? Need some motivation but don't have time to at- tend a class? Get WalkIN' is a free e-mail based walking initiative being offered through Purdue Extension in Pike County. Participants can sign-up, walk on their own and receive e-mail support and information. Participants will be asked to complete two short online surveys. To learn more, contact Brooke Goble be email (bgoble5@purdue. edu) or phone (812-354-6838). Historic Preservation Month photo contest The DNR Division of Historic Preservation and Archae- ology (DHPA) is sponsoring the Historic Preservation Month photo contest again in 2022. The subject of entry photos must be in Indiana, be at least 50 years old, and be something that was designed/ built by people. It can be a building that's been restored to perfection or one that needs some love. The idea is to show the value of historic preservation. Photos of exclu- sively natural elements are not eligible. The photos should be JPEG files (less than 10MB). Each photo and the required entry form should be emailed to aborland@dnr.IN.gov as attachments. Photographers can submit up to three photos, but submit only one photo and entry form per respective email. For the complete rules and guidelines and the required entry form, visit our website. The contest deadline is Friday, April 1. Chargers' do well at state voice contest Pike Central students did well at the Indiana State School Music Association's State Solo and Ensemble con- test, on Saturday, at Perry Meridian High School in Indianapolis. Three students earned ratings of Gold With Distinction, four received gold ratings and one a silver. Jayla Harris, Shelby Keeker and Alec Smith each earned a Gold With Distinction, which signifies a near-per- fect score. Taylor Oswalt, Caden Fausnaugh, Max Burkhart and Conner Loveless each earned a Gold rating, and Kearstan Hartley earned a silver rating. Above (l to r) are: Taylor Oswalt, Jayla Harris, Kearstan Hartley, Shelby Keeker, Caden Fausnaugh, Max Bur- khart, Conner Loveless and Alec Smith.