Kim Smith Named CASA Program Director

Lifelong educator Kim Smith received a new title January 1, rising from her retirement from the McKenzie Special School District to become Carroll County’s program director for Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children (CASA) of Henderson and Carroll counties.

CASA is a nonprofit organization of court-appointed community volunteers who stand up and speak out to help abused and neglected children in the court system. These volunteers take strides to get children the help they need — through counseling, educational assistance and more. With their reports, they help the judge make important decisions about a child’s case.

Smith joined CASA in September of 2023 as a volunteer, having taken an early retirement from McKenzie Middle School in May of the same year. She found out about the organization when she and her husband, Larry, attended a CASA gala in Henderson County.

“I told my husband right away that when I retired, I wanted to do that,” said Smith. “It’s a way I can continue to give back to the community. I can help children in a different fashion.”

In her 20 years of teaching in McKenzie, Smith said she encountered many children whose family lives were not great. She knew that a lot of the kids in the school system grew up in some hard environments. With CASA, she could help these children in a different way than she did as a teacher.

With CASA, volunteers’ only focus is to advocate for children and make sure that they get into a safe, healthy and permanent home. After 30 hours of intense training, volunteers are sworn into the court to become an extra set of eyes and ears for the judge. Amid the judge, attorneys and Department of Child Services (DCS) workers, a CASA volunteer is an extra person on a case who is only focused on the child’s best interest.

A judge assigns each CASA volunteer with one case at a time. Once assigned, the first thing a volunteer will do is meet the kids.

“We don’t go in and investigate to see if there has been abuse or neglect,” said Smith. “We already know that’s happened. We go in and investigate: Are there any family members in this family who could take these children and provide them a living home if they are not able to be reconciled with their parents? Are they in a safe environment? Are they being provided everything they need? Are their educational needs being met? Are their medical needs being met? Are their physical needs being met?”

The volunteers establish a level of trust between themselves and the children. As a retired teacher, Smith is familiar with connecting with children. While working on one case with CASA, she found herself talking about tricky math problems with a child in seventh grade.

“I started talking. I said, ‘You know, I used to teach seventh grade. How’s that math going? Seventh grade math’s pretty rough.’ And then she started talking, and then she started feeling comfortable … And then she unloads what’s going on in her life,” said Smith.

While CASA volunteers are advocates for children, they also take strides in helping parents recover. By helping parents find jobs or encouraging their sobriety, volunteers try to find paths to reunite children with their birth parents. However, volunteers sometimes find that reunification isn’t an option. They may decide that a child would be better served by other relatives or with a different family altogether. They report this information to the judge.

CASA volunteers work on a case from beginning to end, helping find children a permanent, safe home.

“The children might not have the same attorney all the time. They may not have the same DCS worker. They may not have the same counselor. But they’ve always got the same CASA worker,” said Smith.

Since joining CASA in 2023, Smith has completed four cases. She became interim director of CASA of Carroll County — a paid position — October 21, 2025, planning to only serve for 90 days. However, she said she was sucked in. January 1, she became the county nonprofit’s official program director.

Smith now supervises all CASA cases in Carroll County and manages cases of her own. She works primarily in the Huntingdon office, located at 20565 East Main Street, but also works on the road traveling to cases. She attends juvenile court twice a month, and she assists all volunteers when they need help or have questions. She also fills in for volunteers when they are unable to show up for court proceedings or meetings.

CASA in Carroll County has five volunteers currently, but Smith’s team is growing. Training for new volunteers begins January 29. It is a five-week program that takes place Thursday nights from 6-8 p.m.

With more volunteers, Smith said CASA will be able to serve more children in Carroll County.

Those interested in volunteering may call Smith at (731) 358-5774 or complete an online application on CASA’s website: www.casahctn.org.