CASA of Bell and Coryell Counties is pleased to announce the addition of two new board member to the board of directors. Aimee Taggart of Kempner and Dr. George Fennell of Killeen began their terms in February as new board members.
Dr. George Fennell has served CASA as a volunteer advocate for the past year. He has shown great compassion for the children he is serving and has quickly become a favorite volunteer among the CASA staff. He and his wife Flaskia have donated their time, energy, and resources in a variety of ways since joining CASA. They collected school supplies last summer for CASA kids, delivered Thanksgiving meals to CASA kids and their families, and then solicited donations for the CASA Christmas gift campaign in December.
He’s a native of Magnolia, Mississippi and proudly served in the U.S. Army for 22 years. Fennell has organized and directed programs such as the Trusted Partner Program, a program designed to help young adults improve their social skills and work ethic. He’s also a volunteer for the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, conducts Marriage education classes, and is the Chairman for the Central Texas Child Evangelism Fellowship. Many know him from the Good News Club on Fort Hood.
Dr. Fennell replaces Kim Chambers as the volunteer advocate representative to the board. The advocate liaison term is a one-year term on the board. Board Development Chair, Tina Capito, announced his appointment to the board with great excitement after seeing the level of involvement and commitment he has shown to CASA over the past year. “Kim leaves some big shoes to fill with the wonderful job she did as our volunteer representative, but I know George has already started contributing and will be a great member of our board this coming year” stated Capito.
Aimee Taggart joins the board for a 3-year term and was also immediately installed as the Board Treasurer. Taggart is the COO of a local cyber-security company and has an excellent background in fiscal management having served as the treasurer of the Texas A&M Central Texas Foundation for several years in a similar capacity.
Taggart brings a passion for wanting to help local children thrive and succeed as they grow up. She understands that these CASA children don’t deserve to be in the situations they’ve been put in and just wants to contribute to helping them understand they are valued and they have a voice fighting for them in court. She goes above and beyond the call of duty when she knows other children have needs – be it financial needs at school, extracurricular activities, a temporary place to stay, or just someone to listen to their story.
She understands the critical role that CASA Advocates play in the life of kids placed in foster care. Taggart has quickly gotten involved with CASA events over the past several months and become a donor, a recruiter, and outspoken representative for CASA. CASA Executive Director, Kevin Kyle, is especially thankful for her talents in the accounting arena and her offer to step in as the board treasurer after she heard of the need on the board. “Serving as the CASA Treasurer requires some time and skill each and every month. Our monthly reconciliation process is not an easy task and having someone with the accounting expertise like Aimee will be a blessing for our office as she helps us with our checks and balances system we have in place” stated Kyle.
The CASA board is made up of 13 board members who meet monthly to oversee and guide the mission of the agency. CASA recruits and trains volunteers to become advocates for children placed in the area foster care system. The board supports CASA’s efforts by fundraising, assisting with volunteer recruitment and recognition, and promoting CASA in the communities it serves.
CASA needs more new volunteer advocates. If you are interested in learning more about how to become a CASA, or you know of someone you would like to nominate – please call the CASA office at 254-774-1881 or log on at www.casabellcoryell.org.