South Carolina Volunteer Guardian ad Litem Program

Kershaw County Volunteer Guardian ad Litem Mrs. Frankye Hull was honored at the National CASA convention in Denver Colorado as the 2009 G.F. Bettineski Child Advocate of the Year. Mrs. Hull is a retired public school teacher. In 2000, Frankye lost ten days of her life to an aneurism. She believes she recovered in order to serve children as a GAL volunteer. So she perseveres, doggedly doing what needs to be done to find safe, permanent homes for kids—despite the lasting effects of the aneurism and crippling arthritis. A sense of humor helps, as does her genuine love for the kids she serves. “Without these kids, we have no future,” she says. Read more about her remarkable story here.

	"A lot of times in the system you don’t feel like anybody is in your corner. All these decisions are being made about you, and you don’t have a voice. It was nice to have someone sit there and actually listen to what I had to say, and offer advice." Heather Weddle, former foster youth	Listing by County: Get training and contact information for Volunteer Guardian ad Litem programs throughout South Carolina.
Heather, now a junior in college studying theater, attributes much of her success to her volunteer Guardians ad Litem, Howard and Norma Petzold. Read her story here. Learn more about how you can make a difference as a Guardian ad Litem Volunteer.		CLICK HERE for results from the 2009 Judicial Survey: Evaluation of Volunteer GAL Impact on Child Abuse and Neglect Cases.
Kershaw County Volunteer Guardian ad Litem Mrs. Frankye Hull was honored at the National CASA convention in Denver Colorado as the 2009 G.F. Bettineski Child Advocate of the Year. Mrs. Hull is a retired public school teacher. In 2000, Frankye lost ten days of her life to an aneurism. She believes she recovered in order to serve children as a GAL volunteer. So she perseveres, doggedly doing what needs to be done to find safe, permanent homes for kids—despite the lasting effects of the aneurism and crippling arthritis. A sense of humor helps, as does her genuine love for the kids she serves. “Without these kids, we have no future,” she says. Read more about her remarkable story here.		Family Court Judges throughout South Carolina ranked the South Carolina Volunteer Guardian ad Litem Program 4.7 out of 5.0 in overall satisfaction.Some of their comments included: “Where would I be without my guardians who are looking out for the children? In the dark as far as their best interests! Thanks to you all!” "These people are the eyes and ears of the Court. We would be lost without them."
South Carolina Volunteer Guardian ad Litem Program 1205 Pendleton Street, Suite 477, Columbia, SC 29201 1-800-277-0113		The 104 Forgotten Children are life size cutouts that represent the number of abused and neglected children entering the Family Court system every week in South Carolina. The SC Volunteer Guardian ad Litem Program is committed to providing caring advocates for these children. The Forgotten Children are part of a national effort to focus attention on the plight of foster children, and the need for volunteers to advocate for them. Read more about the Forgotten Children Project in South Carolina.