It's not unusual to see Judge Glenda Hatchett advocating for children on her long-running court show. She hasn't hesitated to take a teen mother in to her chambers for a heart-to heart chat about responsibility before setting up some mentoring. She's also sent young men who were spiraling toward a violent existence to visit prison, the morgue or to meet with celebrity role models in an effort to alter their path.

But Judge Hatchett's advocacy doesn't stop when the cameras cease filming. Hatchett is a spokesperson for Court Appointed Special Advocates. The group, which is located in all 50 states, provides volunteers to help the court monitor children who are abused, neglected and in foster care.

Volunteers research case records, speak to the people in a child's life and write written reports that give the judge recommendations about where the child should be placed. Judges often assign the CASA volunteers to the most difficult cases involving neglect and sexual or physical abuse. Last year, more than 68,000 CASA volunteers helped more than 240,000 children in foster care.

On Martin Luther King, Jr. day, Hatchett, the Mother of two sons, urged adults--especially African Americans and African-American men-- to join CASA in the effort to advocate for foster children. When Hatchett first started working with CASA in 2008, there were about 500,000 children in foster care. Today, there are more than 700,000 children in foster care in the United States and almost 50 percent are African American, Hatchett said.

"Dr. King's concern was for us to create a beloved community. He would want us to put our shoulder to the wheel on the issue of children suffering," Hatchett said during an interview with Aol. Black Voices.

"I am concerned about all of our children, but I am particularly concerned about African-American children because we are so disproportionately represented in the foster care system. Our children make up less than 20 percent of population but we make up almost half of the population in foster care."Children who wind up in foster care also face a variety of problems, said Hatchett. According to Covenant House, a quarter of the children who leave foster care will be homeless within two to four years. They have a high dropout rate due to the transient nature of their housing situation. When foster children "age out" of the system, half will be homeless within six months, because they are unprepared to live independently. Many homeless young people turn to, or are forced in to, prostitution to provide for themselves.

"I'm hoping we can raise the level of consciousness, because this issue has been exasperated as a result of the downturn in the economy. Parents have had their homes foreclosed, lost their jobs and are sleeping in their cars. These are not children who are ordinarily at risk," said Hatchett. "We just need caring, committed adults who will be the extra eyes and ears."

CASA has helped to make a difference in the lives of children, who when involved with the program are less likely to spend time in long-term foster care, defined as three years or longer, and more likely to be permanently placed. Parents and children of CASA cases receive more court-ordered services. CASA cases also are less likely to re-enter the child welfare system.

Hatchett has witnessed the difference CASA volunteers can make. One volunteer in Atlanta made sure that three siblings-- ages 9, 7, and 5--who were in separate foster homes, got together at least once a month for pizza.



"If you've been abandoned by your mother that's huge," said Hatchett.

In another instance, a volunteer drove from Atlanta to a more rural part of Georgia every day for a week searching for a relative of three kids who ended up in foster care after their grandmother could no longer support them. The kids only knew their aunt's first name so the volunteer spent his days traveling through the barbershops, beauty salons, churches and restaurants of the town looking for her. After four days, he found the relative who was unaware of the situation. She was able to help remove the children from foster care.

"A social worker would never have the time to be able to do that. Never in a thousand years," said Hatchett. "These three kids may have ended up in foster care if not for that volunteer. We need people and we need them now."

And there are many ways to contribute. Those who don't feel like they are good with kids can help in other ways like writing articles or helping to plan CASA events. Being a retiree with a lot of time on your hands is not a requirement either. The average commitment is about four hours per month, said Hatchett:

"Volunteers commit to one child and training, but once they come in and see the difference they can make in child's life, they stay. It's a very small amount of time that can make an enormous difference. What are we doing if we are not investing in a child's life. We can't throw them away; We have to support them."

With her show in syndication and entering its eighth season, Hatchett said she's due to release her second book, "Dare to Take Charge." She is also launching her own production company and starting a web network for parents called "PartnerPowerNow.com" to connect parents around the world.

"This is my way of helping parents create a community to support each other," Hatchett said. "This is an exciting time for me."

Hatchette said friends called her crazy when she left her position as the highest-ranking African-American woman at Delta Airlines to be a juvenile court judge. Whatever ventures she heads in to, Hatchett said working to protect and uplift children will always be a major part of her agenda.

"If Dr. King was here today, he would counsel us that when we give up hope, we have given up as a people," said Hatchett.

To learn more about Court Appointed Special Advocates or how to volunteer for your local chapter, call 1-888-805-8457 or visit CASA's website.