By Dawn Burleigh

The Orange Leader

CASA will hold its annual Candlelight Vigil at 7 p.m. on Monday, April 10 at the Orange County Courthouse lawn to honor the children lost their lives to abuse and neglect in Texas last year.

The organization is asking residents to wear blue to honor the children who have lost their lives to abuse and neglect. In 2016, 222 children lost their lives to abuse and neglect according to CASA. The number of children is 51 higher than the previous year.

CASA is Court Appointed Special Advocates of the Sabine Neches Region giving voice to abused and neglected children in Hardin, Jasper, Newton, Orange, Sabine and Tyler Counties in Texas. They are part of the National CASA Association, a network of more than 900 CASA programs serving children in 49 states and Washington, D.C.

The second Tuesday of each month, CASA holds an information meeting to answer questions on how to become a CASA representative. The meetings are at 6 p.m. at the CASA office located at 2120 Gloria Drive in Orange. To reserve a seat, call 409-886-2272. The next meeting is Tuesday, April 11.