Marc Krass considers helping troubled children to be his most important job. His commitment has been duly recognized.
As a volunteer for Jackson County CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate), Krass received the Teresa Rabideau Award for Volunteer Excellence. Krass was honored for his exceptional work advocating for the best interests of abused/neglected children under court protection.
The award was presented at the 18th Annual CASA Light of Hope Breakfast held in April at the Sheraton Hotel Crown Center.
Krass, who began volunteering as a CASA in 2015, works with teens ensuring they have a dedicated advocate as they navigate the child welfare and family court systems. A retired attorney who previously served as associate general counsel for Proctor & Gamble, Krass works on multiple CASA cases simultaneously.
Previously named Drug Court Volunteer of the Year for his work with youth whose parents’ cases are under the jurisdiction of Jackson County’s Drug Court, Krass also serves as a business mentor. The Teresa Rabideau Award recognizes Krass’s “tireless work on behalf of the teens for whom he advocates, speaking up for what he believes is right and relentlessly seeking resolutions in the youths’ best interests.”
CASA volunteers — with the support of the agency’s staff — work to provide critical information to judges, helping them make the best possible decisions regarding where the children should live and what medical, therapeutic and educational services they need. Children assigned a CASA volunteer are far less likely to be re-abused and far more likely to find a safe, permanent home. For the past six years, 95 percent of children with a CASA volunteer had not re-entered the Jackson, Johnson or Wyandotte County courts.
Children under court protection often face numerous changes ranging from the professionals assigned to their cases to where they live. They have only one CASA volunteer who often remains the single constant in their life while they’re in the system. In one of Krass’ cases, he has served as the teen’s CASA volunteer for two-and-a-half years and is now the only team member left who was there when the case started.
The Teresa Rabideau Award for Volunteer Excellence was established in memory of a CASA volunteer who, despite battling Multiple Sclerosis, over the years advocated for scores of abused/neglected children under court protection.
Krass and his wife, Sue, who is also a Jackson County CASA volunteer, belong to The New Reform Temple.
