ABERDEEN, S.D.(HubCityRadio)- The Aberdeen Chamber of Commerce’s Chamber Connections Series continued Thursday at the K.O.Lee Public Library.

Feature speaker was Gloria Hutson with CASA for the 5th Circuit Court. The Circuit Court covers ten counties mainly in the northeast and north central portion of South Dakota.  CASA stands for Court Appointed Services Advocates.  She talked about the role of CASA and why it matters.

Hutson described what CASA does.

Hutson talks about how many youths was involved in 2025.

Hutson describe ACE which stands for Adverse Childhood Experience.  There is a questionnaire that addresses such things as neglect, abuse, drug abuse, etc.

Hutson goes over some of the national numbers about those who scored high(6 and above) on the questionnaire.

Hutson also talk about some of the health concerns that could exist because of the trauma.

Hutson note that high ACE scores don’t lead to a life sentence.

Some of the funding comes from the UJS(United Judicial System).  Other funding do come from donations from the community.  You can learn more about CASA and donate at www.nesdcasa.org.