Oconee home to 66 child guardians, but needs more

Oconee County is home to 66 guardians ad Litem, but can always use more. Michelle Norris hopes as many caring adults as possible will volunteer. Norris explained the South Carolina Guardian ad Litem program to today’s meeting of the Walhalla Rotary Club. At no fault of their own, children are often uprooted from their homes when their parents run afoul of the law. They often wind up in foster care while authorities decide the best future for their children. In South Carolina, children do not normally go to court. But GAL volunteers bridge the gap by reporting to the judge on what the child wants. That means getting to know the child and those individuals in the child’s life. Norris says there’s satisfaction to derive in seeing a case through to its best possible end.