Lewis County Guardian Ad Litem Program

10/13/2026

Hope everyone is having a great day! Today we were invited to speak to all the school district superintendents here in Lewis County at one of their monthly meetings. We talked about our program and volunteer recruitment, and our coworkers from Lewis County Juvenile Court also spoke to the superintendents about the back-to-school resource fair the court has hosted since 2023. This year, like every year, they want to make it bigger and spread this message further in our community to get more children involved. If you would like to become a vendor or volunteer for this event, please get in touch with Lisa Leon using the information in the flyer below. As always, the Lewis Guardian Ad Litem Program will always be recruiting volunteers to represent the most vulnerable youth in our community in court and speak for the child’s best interest. If you want to volunteer for our program, message us on Facebook and ask, "How can I help abused and neglected children in Lewis County?" Please share this so people can see it, and if you haven’t followed us yet, please click on the follow button. Thank you to everyone who supports our message to the greater Lewis County area. Your passion to help children is what we need in society!

10/09/2026

Good morning, everyone! We had the honor of presenting to the Pe Ell school staff this morning about volunteer recruitment. We do have some good news! We have trained 2 new volunteers who will be sworn in over the next few weeks. Unfortunately, in the past 8 weeks, we went from 140 abused and neglected children in Lewis County to 168 children. Please share this message around that we are always looking for new volunteers to help the abused and neglected children in Lewis County. Please follow us to stay up to date with what we are doing.

10/09/2026

10/07/2026

Want to make a positive difference in a child’s life?
Want to build friendships that last a lifetime?
Become a Volunteer at the Lewis County Guardian Ad Litem Program! Where your passion for helping children gets recognized by the most needed children in our County: the abused and neglected children.
How do I start?
Message us here on Facebook, Contact Nichole Davis at 360-740-2683, Kenneth Miller at 360-740-2625, or email [email protected] or [email protected].
Ask how you can help by volunteering.
Let Nichole and Kenny guide you on your path to becoming a Guardian Ad Litem volunteer. We support you throughout your volunteering experience.
I am going to quote our very own volunteer, Kay Lyon, from a presentation we gave at Toledo First Baptist Church: “If not you, then who?” If we as a community don’t help our abused and neglected children here in Lewis County, then who will?
Please hit the like, follow, and share buttons so we can get this message out far and wide.

10/01/2026

Hope everyone is having an amazing day today!
I want to update you on a fundraiser event for Guardian Friends of Lewis County, hosted by our volunteer, Rachel Juren! This greatly impacts our kids in Lewis County, not only for Christmas but also for sports fees, therapy’s, and music lessons- anything that pertains to helping the child. Guardian Friends of Lewis County always comes through. Please see the flyer for more details about the fundraiser.
If you can't make it but want to contribute, please use this link in the comments to donate!
As always, we are still looking for volunteers. If you want to make a difference in a child’s life, come and volunteer for the Lewis County Guardian Ad Litem Program. In the past 4 weeks, Lewis County has had roughly 10 new dependency petitions; that is, at the very least, 10 new children who have been abused and neglected. Please reach out via Facebook Messenger, email ([email protected]), or phone (360-740-2625). Ask how you can volunteer, and we will guide you through the process.
Before we go, please drive by the follow and share buttons home and ding-dong-ditch them. Make sure they see you do a burnout when you leave!

09/28/2026

Hi, Everyone.
The Lewis County Guardian Ad Litem Program is part of Lewis County Juvenile Court. We at Lewis County Juvenile Court like to have a few humorous moments when we can. Let me tell you what happened last Thursday.
I walked in to work and went into my office, as I do every day. I proceeded to sit down when I was hit with the god-awful sound of my pants ripping. This disaster happened less than a minute into my day. I then swallowed my pride and called our business manager, Josh Prigmore. I informed him of the tragic news and made a few jokes at my own expense. I told him that once the stores opened, I would leave and get new pants. I looked up the store's opening time; it said 10 AM. Awesome…. Just one problem…. I had to teach our newest Guardian ad litem in their core training at 9! With embarrassment and shame, I informed everyone at the training that I ripped my pants. Nichole graciously kept the training going as I went to replace my pants.
Once I arrived back with my old pants in hand. I thought to myself, “You know what, I am going to do a little prank here.” For those of you who don’t know me, I like to prank people, especially business managers; ask my older-than-the-dinosaurs boss, Susan Wickert, who has not only retired from Lewis County Juvenile Court, but has retired from being pranked by me. Susan, I hope you read that with a smile, or you want to box my ears off.
Anywho, I decided to turn my ripped Khaki pants into some stylish daisy dukes and gift them to our business manager, Josh. Little did I know the prankster was about to get pranked. Josh took it a step further; he held a team meeting and told everyone I had been recruiting volunteers so hard I'd worn out my pants. Everyone got their laughs in; Josh made me do a speech on the spot, and I nailed it.
But oh no, this keeps going. Later that day, Josh told everyone about another team meeting happening immediately. We all gathered for the meeting, and Josh presented me with a shadow box containing a piece of my now-daisy-duke khaki shorts.
I can’t thank the people I work with enough; getting some good laughs throughout the day with people I see every day, and spending time with our program volunteers and enjoying their company, makes my days a little easier. I hope everyone got a laugh or two at my expense today.
Please follow and share to see this program reach new heights!

09/23/2026

Today we would like to introduce you to Shari Watt. Shari has been in this program for quite a while now. She began volunteering while working in the school district and continues to volunteer in retirement. One thing I can say about Shari is that she is very fiery when it comes to the children she advocates for. She doesn’t back down before attorneys and does whatever she can to best advocate for the child’s best interest. She is the driving force behind getting permanency for the children she represents. Below is Shari’s reason for becoming a volunteer.

“In 2010, my oldest daughter went through the Lewis County Guardian Ad Litem training. She shared with me her love for being able to come alongside and be a voice for children who were not otherwise heard.

I considered this for several months and talked to another friend who was a GAL.
I worked at a small public school and spoke with two students in the foster care system. I told each one what I was considering and asked if they felt that their GAL (called a CASA- Court Appointed Special Advocate in some other counties) was important and helpful to them.
One student told me, "I love my GAL. I can tell her anything, and she speaks up for me."
The other student wasn't sure that he had a GAL, but when he found out I was talking about his "CASA," he assured me that this individual was important to him and his case.
Those two kids helped me make up my mind, and I enrolled in the training.

Over the years, I have seen "my" kids reunited with families, adopted, and have had their foster families obtain Guardianship of them.
Each case is unique, and each child is special and unique and deserves to have at least one constant individual in their lives who is speaking out on behalf of their best interests. That is the job of a GAL.”

If you have interest and passion like Shari, please reach out to us via Facebook Messenger, by phone at 360-740-2625, or by email at [email protected].

We need people like you to come and be a positive figure, a listener, and a speaker for the child’s voice in the courtroom.

Before we go, please deliver the knockout punch to the follow and share button.

09/21/2026

Good morning, everyone!
It is that time of year again: fall starts tomorrow, the leaves are beginning to change color, the mornings are cooler, and the days are getting drastically shorter. We are looking directly at the upcoming holidays. Many of us are planning where to go; holidays are meant to be spent with loved ones and to cherish their company; gifts are extra and meaningful in their own way.
I bring this up because, for the over 140 abused and neglected children here in Lewis County, holidays look a lot different than the normal traditions. Imagine being 6 years old, placed in a foster home, and it is Christmas time. At this young age, you don’t have a family; you essentially have nothing, but you do have a Volunteer Guardian Ad Litem. This volunteer asks you questions about what you would like for Christmas. As the 6-year-old, you give your volunteer this list of wishes, and right before Christmas, your Guardian Ad Litem shows up with everything you asked for. Your eyes light up with excitement, and tears start to form because you didn't think this would happen. You give your Guardian Ad Litem the biggest hug and say thank you.
You may be asking How did my Guardian Ad Litem do this for me?
Here in Lewis County, we have what is called Guardian Friends of Lewis County. They are a a501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to raising money for the needs of foster children. They do many fundraisers throughout the year. They support children in foster care, not only during Christmas time, but when a child may need funds to participate in a sports program, dance classes, music classes, therapeutic classes, anything that will benefit the child. Guardian Friends of Lewis County delivers every time.
As the Guardian Ad Litem program, we are always looking for new volunteers to step through the door and join our team. We know there are many reasons people can’t volunteer right now, and we encourage you to volunteer when it is the right time for you. If you can't volunteer, donating to Guardian Friends of Lewis County is another way to help these foster children. You can contact them right here on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GuardianFriendsofLewisCounty/ or https://lewiscountygal.org/how-to-help/donate.html
Before we go, smash that follow and share button, just like the Seahawks did to the Cardinals this past weekend.

09/16/2026

Hi everyone!

We'd like to introduce our next Guardian Ad Litem, Sharon Donahe. Sharon is a go-getter, very determined, and always wants what is best for the children. She likes to be busy, and Nichole and I are always willing to keep her busy. We do our best for Sharon and the rest of our volunteers, so she and everyone else can have a positive experience being one of our program volunteers.

Here is Sharon’s message about how she became a volunteer and for anyone interested in volunteering with abused and neglected children.

I was first introduced to the Guardian ad Litem program in the early 90s, when someone contacted me by mistake. I looked into it, but the timing wasn't right. Later in life, I sat in on a relative's permanent placement meetings. Still, the timing wasn't right. I retired, then went to a local Christian Women's luncheon where Nichole and Susan spoke. I signed up because the timing was right. These children need someone to speak on their behalf. If we don't do it, who will? It is so fulfilling to watch parents turn their lives around and do what is best for their children.

Before we go, please hit that Like, Follow, and Share button, like you are trying to hit that piñata at a little kid's birthday party because the kids couldn’t get the job done and you really want to eat some candy.