She’s a bright consistency in their tumbled world.

Chasity Hamilton of Newberry shows up for monthly visits with abused and neglected children, sometimes toting a Connect Four game to play, and always ready to listen.

The children are ready with their own gifts when she arrives.

“They always have a hug for me and they’re always smiling,” says Hamilton.

As a Guardian Ad Litem volunteer, Hamilton provides help for children in custody of the state’s Department of Social Services (DSS) who may find themselves in a new school or new town while parents get things straightened out at home.

In their strange new world, children need stability and comfort, but they also need someone to speak for them, which is where Hamilton comes in.

“First and foremost, I’m their voice,” she says. “I’m their voice to speak for their wishes.” Guardian ad Litem is Latin for “Guardian at law.”

Hamilton gives her time—roughly 12 hours a month—and heart to her three cases.

Hamilton’s three “cases” are three families of siblings she visits each month. While visiting, she chats with the children about how they’re doing, and specifically about where they want to live.

“The biggest thing is to make sure they have a safe and permanent home as quickly as possible,” says Jane Doolittle, the coordinator for Newberry’s Guardian Ad Litem program.

But where should children go—with parents?

“That’s our number one goal is that they be reunited with the parents,” says Doolittle.

But if mom and dad aren’t ready, children can be placed with relatives.

“But a lot of times, there are no relatives that can take the kids,” Doolittle says.

The decision goes to court, where parents, DSS and the Guardian ad Litem group are sometimes at odds as to where a child should live.

But, Doolittle says, “everybody has their say-so.”

Because parents of children in DSS custody are in limited contact with people in their child’s day-to-day world, Guardian ad Litem volunteers like Hamilton visit doctors and schools to check the health and progress—or lack thereof—of the children are charged with protecting.

After the 30-hour Guardian ad Litem program training, volunteers know what to look for and what to ask.

She may see failing school grades and recommend tutoring during a parent-teacher conference.

Volunteers learn about a child’s situation and then advocate for what’s in the child’s best interests, Doolittle says. They are parents “to a certain point,” she says.

Sometimes they eat lunch with children at school and listen as a counselor would, even suggesting to some, “yes, you need to go to college,” says Doolittle.

And a volunteer’s advice isn’t just for the child.

They also tell a court judge what they think is best for the child.

“Because we are there for them in court, the judge always asks what is the guardian’s position,” says Doolittle. “We don’t ever know until the judge decides at the end, but (children) just know they’ve got somebody speaking for them.”

And besides being a child’s advocate, Hamilton is also their friend.

But it’s sometimes friendship in the trenches, she’s found.

On the way to visit the children, Hamilton asks God for strength and wisdom.

She needs wisdom to know what to say to the children, and strength to keep her peace while hearing the horrors of what they may tell her.

“I’ve left sometimes crying, you know, hurt because of what they’re going through,” says Hamilton.

“Because there are sometimes you’re sitting there talking, to where what they’re saying has truly affected you and you might want to cry right then, but you have to stay strong for them.”

And as a Guardian ad Litem volunteer, Hamilton must keep confidential what a child tells her, though she can share accounts with Doolittle.

Because of the confidentiality agreement, Hamilton says she works though the emotion alone, turning to God for support.

“If I didn’t pray I don’t think I could emotionally handle it,” she says.

It’s tough work being a Guardian ad Litem volunteer, but the positive outweighs the negative, says Hamilton, who last year decided to volunteer after hearing about one child’s sexual abuse.

The Guardian ad Litem program limits actions for liability reasons, so volunteers can neither take children places nor bring them gifts.

But, the children are happy with simple things, says Hamilton.

One kid went bonkers over a promotional commercial cap his biological family gave him, says Hamilton.

And just showing up for monthly visits means a lot, Hamilton sees.

“The simplest things in life please them, and I’ve found that with most every child that I’ve worked with,” Hamilton says, “even it it’s just sitting and spending time with them or playing a game.”

“She is somebody stable in their life when they haven’t had stability,” says Doolittle.

Jane Doolittle says most Newberry volunteers are retirees. Some, however, like Chasity Hamilton, work part time while raising a child. But the need is great. There are currently 18 volunteers in Newberry County, but 25 cases that require Guardian Ad Litem volunteers.

Volunteer requirements

• Be at least 21 years old

• Pass background and reference checks

• Complete 30-hour training program

• Visit your child or children a minimum of one time per month

• Appear at all family court hearings involving your case

• Spend 4-6 hours per month on each child

Newberry training begins April 6.

Call Jane Doolittle at 321-2155 ext. 145 or write to her: galNewberry@oepp.sc.gov

Visit www.Newberry.scgal.org