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Knox County CASA offers branded park benches to boost volunteer recruitment
Summary
At a parks board meeting in Vincennes, Denise Swink, executive director of Knox County CASA, proposed and won approval to place informational benches in parks and trolley stops to help recruit volunteers; CASA said it currently serves 121 children and has 69 on its waiting list.
Denise Swink, executive director of Knox County CASA, asked the Vincennes Parks Board to allow the nonprofit to place informational benches in parks and at trolley stops to raise awareness and recruit volunteers.
"My name is Denise Swink and I am the executive director of Knox County CASA," Swink said, explaining that CASA—Court Appointed Special Advocates—serves children who have been abused or neglected. "We are serving 121 children here in Knox County currently and we do have 69 children on our wait list needing a volunteer." She said CASA currently has 15 volunteer advocates and that more volunteers are needed so children have a voice in court.
Swink showed a bench already installed at "JC's" parking lot and said local vendor More Than Ads LLC (Wayne Meyer) fabricated it. She said the bench has concrete ends with wooden slats and a back sign produced by a local business; CASA would use the park system's preferred vendor (Barco) if required to remain compliant. "It's making a difference. It's bringing in a volunteer," she said of the pilot bench.
Board members discussed likely locations, including Lester Square, trolley stops and Greg Park, and noted that the board typically avoids commercial advertising on benches. A committee member said the proposed benches would be framed as volunteer recruitment rather than commercial ads. The board moved and seconded a motion to approve the partnership and voted by voice to permit CASA to proceed.
The board asked staff to coordinate specifications so any bench ordered would match the park system's standards and to confirm installation details. Swink said CASA would aim to keep production local and comply with the parks department's requirements.
The parks board did not record a roll‑call vote in the transcript; the approval was taken by voice vote. Next steps recorded in the meeting include staff follow‑up on vendor specifications and final installation logistics.
