Riherd recognized for her work

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April 19, 2008

By BRAD DICKERSON The Glasgow Daily Times Sat Apr 19, 2008, 03:08 PM CDT

A 7-year-old child showed Glasgow attorney Rita Riherd his gratitude for her assistance the only way he could — he gave her one of his cherished Monopoly chance cards.

“He had so little to give and he couldn’t have afforded a thank you card, but (one) of his little cards that he was so proud of, he brought me that,” she said.

The keepsake still sits on a shelf in Riherd’s office on Glasgow’s Public Square. She admits to becoming emotional whenever thoughts turn to the boy and the circumstances that led to their meeting in 2000; he was the victim of sexual abuse by a maternal uncle and she was prosecuting the case.

As more information came to light, Riherd realized that she could only get a conviction if the child took the stand during the trial.

“It was just something that I’ll never forget, seeing a 7-year-old boy get up in court and testify against his adult uncle,” she said. “Our case was so compelling that the uncle pled guilty during the trial.

“There was a lot of, in that case, suspicion of this being a generational problem within that family. I just hope that because of the action that we took, that it ended it.”

In the four months leading up to the trial, Riherd got to know the boy and his family, as well as spent time at what she described as their “very poor home.”

During a home visit, the young child showed Riherd his cards and asked if he could read them to her.

“Just to be able to spend more time doing something he wanted to do, we read through these little cards that looked like Monopoly cards, but only he didn’t have a Monopoly game, he just had the cards,” she said.

It was two weeks after the trial concluded that the little boy gave Riherd his token of appreciation.

In the years following that case, Riherd continues to represent neglected and abused children in court proceedings as guardian ad litem.

“The guardian ad litem’s main goal is to protect the best interest of the child and that child could range from a newborn taken from its mother at the hospital to a 17-year-old,” she said.

Riherd was recognized for her efforts on April 3 when she was named guardian ad litem of the year by the Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Southern Kentucky.

The group is comprised of 45 volunteers who advocate for children in court and also identify a child’s needs and ask community partners to meet those needs, said Will Constable, executive director of CASA of South Central Kentucky, which serves Barren, Warren, Butler, Hart and Metcalfe counties.

Constable added that of the 28 Barren County children CASA served in 2007, Riherd worked with them on about 16 of the cases.

“Rita goes the extra mile in that she actually visits some of the children, listens to what they have to say and collaborates with us and others in her diligent defense of the children’s legal (rights),” he said.

Riherd said she is impressed by the CASA volunteers who take time out of their schedules to monitor and advocate for children they may have just met.

“In America, we should value our children,” she said. “I think that we’re morally and legally bound to come to the aid of a child who — no fault of their own — has become abused or neglected in this society.”

For the future, Riherd plans to continue her work as a guardian ad litem and her affiliation with CASA as long as her help is needed.

“It’s a chance to make some small difference in the life of a child (who has perhaps) gone through the school of hard knocks,” she said. “To be able to help just a little bit, it’s very rewarding as an attorney.”

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